This is a topic that many classic car owners have different views about – should you or shouldn’t you wear a seat belt whilst driving your classic car?

Back in 1965 all new cars built in the UK had to have anchorage points fitted and three years later it became a legal requirement for those cars to be fitted with seat belts in the front seats. In 1983 it became law to wear a seat belt in a car with certain exceptions.

So, basically, if you own a classic car manufactured from 1965 then you and your passengers will have to wear a seat belt with certain exceptions. If you do not and are caught not doing so then you can be fined up to £500. However, if you car was built before 1965 and had seat belts fitted then you will also have to wear them. There are different regulations in relation to children that you may wish to research.

Setting aside the legal situation regarding the wearing of seat belts in cars, there is also the question of the safety aspect of them. There are many road traffic accidents here in the UK and the rest of the world on a daily basis. It is felt that some of those people involved in those accidents benefitted by wearing a seat belt i.e. some of them may have been killed had they not been wearing a seat belt or suffered an injury or a worse injury had they not been wearing a seat belt.

There will be some classic car owners who, even though legally not required to do so, made the decision to have seat belts fitted to their vehicles from a safety aspect. That is obviously a personal decision but one that may not have been taken lightly.

Don’t forget that if your classic car insurance is shortly coming up for renewal to get in touch with us to obtain a no-obligation, competitive quotation to see if we can help save you some money.