jack
30+ posts.... a 2 wheeler!
Posts: 35
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Post by jack on Dec 11, 2006 17:48:15 GMT
There was a thread going last year on the Romaclub Forum about the advisability of putting seatbelts on the side seats in the C15 and the consensus was that it would be dangerous to do so.
We would love to be able to bring our 8 & 10 year old grandsons out on trips next year where they could sleep in the Movelite awning that I have just ordered.
I wonder is there any way that one could fix seatbelts so that the children could sit with their backs against the lifted up food prep shelves, facing frontways & with their legs stretched along the seats.
Or would it be possible to fit two secure but removable seats along the passage between the side benches.
Any bright ideas out there?
Jack
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Post by Graham on Dec 11, 2006 19:20:24 GMT
Hi Jack
This is just the sort of dilemma we had with our Duo, passengers can't be seated safely on the side benches.
The solution we came up with was to dig deep and get a Dimension which has 4 front facing seats with passenger belts, we are now able to take our Grandchildren with us although at 2 and 3 as yet they are a little young but its handy just to be able to take them out for the day.
Alternatively, what about camping somewhere near where your Grandchildren live and getting Mum and Dad to bring them for the day and leave them with you to sleep in your awning and then picking them up later.
Graham
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Post by Pauline on Dec 11, 2006 22:03:19 GMT
Hello Jack I think any home made type of seating/seatbelts would be a dangerous option. I've worked in childcare for 20+ years and we gets lots and lots of information regarding safety especially in the car and it's very scary. Wrongly fitted or wrongly used seatbelts are a big killer. I've known of people to put two children in one seatbelt thinking that they would be safer than being loose in the car (and you probably think they would be) but the crush injuries that it causes are unimaginable. I'm not suggesting that you would do anything to put your grandchildren in danger, and I apologise if it sounds like I'm preaching.  A seatbelt fillted and used with the children's legs up on the seats would probably do a great amount of damage to their pelvis in the event of an accident due to the positon of their legs. If I were you I would get some expert advice from a dealer or someone who knows about Romahomes. Daft as it sounds they would probably be safer sitting in the back un restrained than they would be in an amateur contraption. It might affect your insurance too, but not totally sure on that. Again, sorry if I sound like I'm being a knowall  |
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jack
30+ posts.... a 2 wheeler!
Posts: 35
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Post by jack on Dec 11, 2006 23:39:31 GMT
Thanks everyone for the sensible advice. Would love to upgrade to a Dimension but in the meantime Graham's tip about getting Mum & Dad take them along seems the best option.
Thanks again.
Jack
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Post by ant on Dec 12, 2006 9:01:13 GMT
Hi Jack.
Seat belts in the back of a Motorhome is still not a requirement by law, however as a dealer I am not allowed to sell sideways facing seats as passenger carrying seats, nor am I allowed to fit sideways facing lap belts ( or any other come to that). If you want to carry rear passengers without any belts then it is safer to have them sit just behind the cab seats, many customers have made a bulkhead that fits on the GRP of the seat and to the head board up at the base of the luton area, this would minimise the risk of them being thrown forward into the cab in the event of an impact . If anyone offers to fit belts they will not conform to the BS standards and render your insurance void. You can still insure the van to carry passengers upto the time the law changes on the seatbelt situation ( spring next year).
You might now find some Duo Plus' about on the market which have 4 forward facing belted seats.
Hope this doesn't spook you too much
Ant
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jack
30+ posts.... a 2 wheeler!
Posts: 35
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Post by jack on Dec 12, 2006 12:37:56 GMT
Many thanks, Ant. Appreciate your advice.
Jack
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Post by Pauline on Dec 12, 2006 14:53:44 GMT
We looked at the Duo Plus as a possible option for taking passengers but were told that the rear seats were hard to use in 'bed mode' if you wanted to drive and camp with them in the van. Also getting the seats out and putting the bed/storage boxes back in looked hard work. There is also the Pullman design, although as they are quite new they would be rather expensive even second hand. They do have two seats with lap belts in the back and we were told by Freeborns that there were plans to make the seatbelts 3 point ones in the near future, but I don't know if they have yet. My only concern with lap belts in the Pullman is that the two passengers facing each other seem very close and I wonder, in the event of a crash, whether the one facing towards the front would be thrown forward from the waist upwards and hit the other passengers legs face first. Makes me shudder just to think about these things  |
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jack
30+ posts.... a 2 wheeler!
Posts: 35
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Post by jack on Dec 12, 2006 17:41:44 GMT
The old caravan parked in the back yard & that hasn't been on the road since being we were bitten by the Romahome bug will have to be brought out of cold storage if we want to take the kids away next summer. Don't particularly enjoy towing it but it seems the safest solution.
(oh - the joys of being grandparents!)
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Post by Pauline on Dec 12, 2006 18:38:17 GMT
Oh no Jack now you will get me started on caravan safety!!  Promise me you'll put new tyres on if it's been stood a long time. We had a puncture with a caravan and it might have been because the tyres had not been changed, they perish when they stand over winter and we know the caravan dealer we bought it from had not changed them so we don't know how old they were. Easy to know these things in hindsight!  Car and caravan were written off, luckily we were not hurt. That's how we ended up with a Romahome. Would never tow again, it was terrifying. Anyway, goodnight Jack - don't have nightmares - do sleep well. ;D |
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jack
30+ posts.... a 2 wheeler!
Posts: 35
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Post by jack on Dec 12, 2006 20:52:34 GMT
 Pauline, I promise!! I promise!! I promise!! Jack
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geoff
15+ posts.... a Uni wheeler!
Posts: 20
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Post by geoff on Dec 12, 2006 22:37:31 GMT
We have a Pullman the forward facing seat has a lap and diagonal belt and the rear facing seat has just a lap belt. The rear facing seat does not have a fixed back so relies on the back of the front passenger seat to restrain any forward movement.
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Post by Pauline on Dec 13, 2006 8:39:24 GMT
Pauline, I promise!! I promise!! I promise!! Jack Phew,  thanks Jack. You could also fit Tyron bands as they are supposed to keep the wheel safe in the event of a puncture. |
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Post by Pauline on Dec 13, 2006 8:44:57 GMT
We have a Pullman the forward facing seat has a lap and diagonal belt and the rear facing seat has just a lap belt. The rear facing seat does not have a fixed back so relies on the back of the front passenger seat to restrain any forward movement. How far up the back of the rear passenger does the front seat come? I'd imagine that the headrest would be in the middle of their back which, in the event of a sudden stop would mean that the top half of the rear passenger would be thrown backwards into the cab and the head of the front passenger. If that is the case perhaps some sort of backrest/support, like Ant suggested earlier, might be useful. |
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Post by moya on Dec 13, 2006 11:04:05 GMT
We have a Pullman the forward facing seat has a lap and diagonal belt and the rear facing seat has just a lap belt. The rear facing seat does not have a fixed back so relies on the back of the front passenger seat to restrain any forward movement. In our Duo Hylo pullman the seat cushion behind the passenger seat is strapped up behind the passenger seat as the backrest and the middle cushion moved along to use as the seat. You then have the gap where the table would normally go for passengers leg room. I thought yours would have been the same Geoff.  Hopefully you can see what I mean from the photo. |
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geoff
15+ posts.... a Uni wheeler!
Posts: 20
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Post by geoff on Dec 14, 2006 14:28:40 GMT
Yes our pullman is the same. The cushion is strapped up as a backrest. The point I was making is that that cushion is not designed as a restraint and is only held in place by light straps which are in turn secured by a light fitting and small screws. (Compair those with seat belt anchorage points and fittings.) The strap would certainly not restrain the inertia of passenger thrown towards the front of the vehicle in a collision but the cushion backrest would be forced against the back of the front passenger seat and head restraint.
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