Landrovernuts Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Morning I have a 1988 V8 90 county with the sideways facing rear seats. Just wondered when legally I can carry children in the back? My son loves going out in "landie" and unless we do he gets very upset! The slight issue is the wife has to sit in the back, which she is not the happiest about! I am not going to rush out and sit him in the back, but would like to know legally when we can start thinking about it. For some reason only the forward two rear seats have belts so he would be restricted to these seats when the time comes. I seem to remember sitting on the rear bench seats of a series 2a with no belts and sometimes an open back from a very early age and don't suppose anyone considered that wrong when I was younger! Toby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike080381 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Depending Upon the age of the children there are a couple of issues. Firstly, if they are below 12 or 135cm, then they have to be in an approved car seat / booster thing. As far as I know, none of these are approved for installation in sideways facing seats. As for adults in sideways facing seats, it's not illegal, but a response from the DoT on another forum "Although side facing seats, with or without seat belts, are not illegal, we would not advise that they are used. This is because seat belts are not designed to be used with such seats. In the event of an accident, seat belts on these side facing seats may help to prevent the wearer being thrown around the vehicle or from being ejected, but in a frontal crash they can increase injury risk by subjecting vulnerable parts of the body to higher loads than seat belts used on forward facing seats." So for kids, only solution is forward facing rear seats, for adults, go for it, but don't crash. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrovernuts Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 The wife has just been looking at loads of threads on mumsnet and cannot belive what a talked about subject this is!! There are many references to this forum and many Mums that actually support the Land Rover obsessed husbands, I am impressed! As has been said by mike080381, children cannot sit in the sideways facing seats until they are taller than 135cm or 12 years old, this sort of gives us a couple of options. Buy a 110 or get a couple of forward facing seats for the 90. While I would love a 110, I am know I would not get one in the sort of condition I would like for the budget we have so that sort of ends that option. The other option is forward facing seats in the back of the 90 (it is not an everyday car, so practicality is not top of the list!) like the new tdci 90s. Apart from Exmoor is there anyone who does suitable forward facing seats as other than LR? Just want to compare prices etc. The other question with forward facing seats is where would the dog go, as he also likes going out in the landie, Is there anyroom between the seat back and back door? Toby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 IIRC the seats are fitted at the rear end of the wheelarches, to give legroom forward to the centre bulkhead [if fitted] your dog should be able to sit/lie on the floor forward of the seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brighouse shed Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 guy down my road has fwd facing in his 90 and has a good couple of feet in front of seats so all middle available for dog. Personally would never have anyone in the side facing seats, when i got mine the kids kept pushing till a mate who works in A&E discussed the number of soft essential organs the seat belt will hammer into. after that gave up and will eventually fit fwd facing till then only dogs in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I would never stick my kids in the inwards facing seats or if I can help it a seat with only a lap belt!!! To that end I removed the four seats from the back of the my 110 declared the mod to the insurance taking it from 9 seats to 5 and saved £300 on the insurance (when it was insured for business use) as I never used them it was a bonus. Jason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Personally, I agree - side facing seats are not acceptable for anything other than low speed work. I would suggest that an option would be rear facing seats, as these are even safer than front facing seats, yet keep the area in the back of a 90 free for dogs etc. A decent bench seat, facing backwards, with headrests, properly anchored and with proper belts is an ideal solution, I think. Update - link thing - showing the benefits of rear facing. http://www.rearfacing.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 That's what I did - I fitted a pair of Exmoor Trim's plusher inward facing seats to a custom cradle to have them aft facing with lap straps in the back of our Lightweight, so they're easy to use and are safe, but also leave space for loads. It's in the Lightweight section of my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I might be wrong but I think only one of exmoor trim's is safe to use with a child seat and no others are that may or may not include gen land rover ones so just double check if you need that facility. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I might be wrong but I think only one of exmoor trim's is safe to use with a child seat and no others are that may or may not include gen land rover ones so just double check if you need that facility. Mike They only endorse the most ridiculously expensive of their seats for child use, but that's as predictable as it is cynical - businesses see pound signs as soon as someone mentions the word "child". I used their Trakkers forward facing seats with child seats with very good security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antony110 Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 The Seats that they endorse are approx £500 however they do not manufacture only recover them. To save a lot of money do a search on ebay for mini bus seats often the orgional manufacture seats come up for sale from ex amulances and often fitted in some council day care unit transport vechiles, i have seen them go for £20! Abig difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smego Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 /I have fitted two forward facing rear seats that still allow bikes to fit between them gives me best of both words with the side windows too paid £180 on the blag with safety certificate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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