Ray Ban

Aren’t the doors in most vehicles able to be opened from the inside even if locked from the outside, precisely for safety reasons? Presumably this vehicle didn’t have sliding windows able to be opened from the inside. The simple and cheap idea suggested above of installing a clearly marked panic button connected to the horn has a lot to be said for it., but in the end a quick visual check by the driver before leaving the vehicle should be all that’s required.

You do realise I imagine that the new laws require children 6 and under to be in child safety seats, not just belted.

My wife is Thai, so translation not a problem. In any event, it’s not too difficult to distinguish between TOYOTA and NISSAN!. The fact remains that the Vigo has a vinyl-covered slab of foam for a back seat, no belts, and a blue book. The Nissan has 4 seats witth belts and a green book. More to the point is what is the built-before date for exemption from the new laws? In 2014 when they first tried to bring in this legislation it was 1April 2012, which covers me. Now the date is quoted as 1Jan 1988. I have also seen a quote from the new laws to the effect “However the law shall not apply to passengers in the extended space behind the front seats of a pick up or in the cargo tray so long as they are within the limits”. Don’t know what trust to put in that.

Not that easy in my case. The Vigo has a blue book and no number in the space for carrying capacity. Our daughter’s Nissan March has a green book which shows carrying capacity of two, but has four full seats with belts!

When we’re new cars first required to be fitted with seat belts? My 2008 two-door Vigo Ute doesn’t have belts for the back nor any way of fitting them. A report in 2014 when they tried to bring in new seat belt laws and ban riding in the tray said vehicles first registered before 1st April 2012 were exempt. Now the date seems to be 1st January 1988. There must be many people like me who can’t work out if having rear seat passengers is now illegal.

This report tells us that one “ definitive” point made by the RTP spokesman was that cars registered before 1 January, 1988 are exempt from the “new” seat belt laws. In reporting from March 2017, the exemption was for cars first registered before 1 April, 2012, which takes in my Toyota 2-door Vigo. The rear seats are a slab of foam with plastic covering, “secured” with strips of Velcro. There are no seat belts and no anchor points to instal them. I’m obviously not alone. Its unlikely that the average cop will have any direction on this, so I’m looking forward (NOT) to lifting my engine bonnet to explain why my manufacturer’s compliance plate proves I’m in the clear.

The seat belt campaign in Australia was” Click clack front and back.” New Zealand picked it up but had to make the change to “Click click front and back” because “back” with a Kiwi accent comes out as “bick”!