Legality of not having seats

[Pox]

Just wondering if anyone knows, but is it legal to drive passengers around in your car, wearing seat belts attached to the floor, but with no seats. What seats would be considered legal? I mean, I have seen a few accidents and know that the seats don't always stay on the floor.

-Jon

 

[CARTMAN]

Why don't you have seats? are you a ricer or something? LOL

 

[SilverSleeper]

What are they sitting on, milk crates? lol

I would think that they would have to be in a DOT-approved (or something similar) seat designed for an auto. The seats that are in a car affect how the seatbelts work, anyway.
The belts wont hold you in the event of a crash if you arent sitting in a seat designed to work with the belts.
If you value your friends, why risk it?

 

[Pox]

I only ask cuz I don't have a back seat in my buick anymore (sold them all as a set before switching to some lighter fronts) and was wondering what would be a light yet legit setup to run in the back in case I need to transport more that 2 people. Thanks for you anwers though.

Jon

 

[John Larkin]

If you've ever seen a car that has been burned completely, you've seen the seat frames inside. Seats these days seem to be nothing more exotic than a lawnchair as far as the frame goes. I'm sure they are high strength steel but they wouldn't save you in a rollover, likely just to not come apart or break like mild steel. Backseats are nothing more than a cushion that is "clipped" to the floor and a backsupport that clips and bolts in along with the seatbelt bases.

However, prudence being the better part of judgement, it would be foolish to recommend anything other than OEM equipment to place public or private passengers in. The world is too sue happy and unpredictable these days. You might get away with some individual camaro/firebird backseats if they have decent mounting points but that's a big maybe.

 

[d0n_3d]

Originally posted by SilverSleeper
What are they sitting on, milk crates? lol

LOL!

 

[gn85]

First off.. put some OEM or DOT approved seats in the car. As said before, if someone is injured in your car and you don't have proper seats in the car that could really be a poor legal situation for many years to come.

One thing people don't think about with car seats is the fact that they are not only designed to hold the occupant in place in a frontal collision so the seatbelts and airbags can do their job. But also, in a rear collision they have a certain degree of give to prevent injury. Also, the head rests are there for a reason and do provide protection from severe whiplash and neck injury.

Leave the milk crates for the body shop to drive cars with. Leave the 'no seats' look to the ricers.

 

[machinegun]

I know this is a strange question but I have never seen a DOT approved seat. I mean anything that needs a DOT approval has to be stamped with it. I have never seen a DOT approved stamp on a seat. Any answers to this?

 

[GNX Guy]

Your joking, right?

 

[turbofish38]

Maybe a day late and a dollar short but........if I recall the stock rear seat doesnt weigh that much compared to a pair of stock front buckets so whats wrong with putting a set of stockers back in. They are just a chintzy frame made of lightweight steel and a foam pad covered in fabric, not to mention they make a nice sound insulator to make it a little quieter in the car.