Seatbelt installation in Ontario

[Hayman19]

I am trying to figure out how to install additional seat belts on my bench sofa, so I would have 4 seat belts in total, including the front seat and passenger seat.
Im having a hard time trying to find resources on seatbelt installation laws specific to Ontario, Canada. Maybe im not searching the correct keywords, but the only info I ever get is the legislative laws themselves. I know every passenger in Ontario needs a seatbelt, but finding anything on the installation itself seems impossible. I have a niece that would be joining us on our future adventures, and I need to make sure the seatbelts are installed correctly to fit her carseat.

If anyone has any ideas or tips, Id greatly appreciate it!

[The bus stops here]

I have been wondering this myself. I have come across some information when I look up buying and installing seat belts. You might have luck calling a shop who installs them and ask what they know. I would love to see a photo of how you did it. I know laws my be different her in MN.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Hayman19

I am trying to figure out how to install additional seat belts on my bench sofa, so I would have 4 seat belts in total, including the front seat and passenger seat.
Im having a hard time trying to find resources on seatbelt installation laws specific to Ontario, Canada. Maybe im not searching the correct keywords, but the only info I ever get is the legislative laws themselves. I know every passenger in Ontario needs a seatbelt, but finding anything on the installation itself seems impossible. I have a niece that would be joining us on our future adventures, and I need to make sure the seatbelts are installed correctly to fit her carseat.

If anyone has any ideas or tips, Id greatly appreciate it!

If your sofa is sideways, there's not really going to be any way to safely install seat belts. It might be legal (PA for example allows adults to ride in the back of an RV with no belts at all) but it would not be safe.

[MambaJack]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

If your sofa is sideways, there's not really going to be any way to safely install seat belts. It might be legal (PA for example allows adults to ride in the back of an RV with no belts at all) but it would not be safe.

is sitting sideways with a seatbelt better or worse than no seatbelt at all?

[Blcia]

Theres nothing worse than no seatbelt. That being said sitting sideways is the worst possible situation and a seatbelt isn't going to do that much good.. That accident in NY where everyone on the shuttle bus died? Ya all sitting sideways no seatbelts, and only going like 50 mph.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by MambaJack

is sitting sideways with a seatbelt better or worse than no seatbelt at all?

Sideways with a belt might be better than no seatbelt, but both are sufficiently unsafe that I wouldn't do either. You definitely should not have a child seat anchored sideways.

This might be a moot point in a skoolie with kitchen knives etc. flying around.

[badmaners]

Originally Posted by Hayman19

I am trying to figure out how to install additional seat belts on my bench sofa, so I would have 4 seat belts in total, including the front seat and passenger seat.
Im having a hard time trying to find resources on seatbelt installation laws specific to Ontario, Canada. Maybe im not searching the correct keywords, but the only info I ever get is the legislative laws themselves. I know every passenger in Ontario needs a seatbelt, but finding anything on the installation itself seems impossible. I have a niece that would be joining us on our future adventures, and I need to make sure the seatbelts are installed correctly to fit her carseat.

If anyone has any ideas or tips, Id greatly appreciate it!

PM "REDD" on here. He's done it to his

[The bus stops here]

What if you have a rear facing bench seat from a truck or a van that already has seat belts attached to its frame. Could you just anchor that in sideways and have some level of safety?

[Yukon Cornelius]

if your benches are orientated parallel with the walls.. Then anchoring through the chair rail is feasible. If you're concerned about just a lap belt you could anchor a shoulder belt to the hat channel. vice just the lap belt through the chair rail.
So long as you have a "bulkhead" type armrest with your couch you should be good, as that is the same philosophy as the original partial walls that were in the school bus.

as for sitting sideways in a means of transportation, and only having a lapbelt.... C-130, CC115, CH 149, CH 147, CH146, CH 124, etc as the list goes on and on and on.... These are just some of the many Aircraft that have some various of sideways seating with just a clip in lapbelt, some are just rag n tube, but a bunch have airline type seats with a lapbelt as well....Many of which have also had civilian applications of the same form.
As with most crashes in any form of transportation, survivability usually has way less to do with passenger containment than it does with cargo containment..... IE you survive the initial crash and then get crushed by the loose kit behind/beside you, or that metal water bottle in the back of the vehicle becomes a projectile and bashes in your skull.. Or my personal favourite for wheeled vehicle......That 4lb purse dog sun tanning in the back window of a sedan, becomes a missile and breaks your neck....

School buses have a robust fuselage design, and many impact features to protect the things in the "tube" but depending on what you put back inside the tube you could very well just be putting a couple oranges in a dryer with a pair of work boots....... you're the oranges.......

not intending to scare anyone or be "over the top" with my scenarios but accident investigation is something I do for a living, and while as far as real world goes it centers around aviation....we study all means of transport and case studies that mirror comparable safety measures or circumstances.

[The bus stops here]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Sideways with a belt might be better than no seatbelt, but both are sufficiently unsafe that I wouldn't do either. You definitely should not have a child seat anchored sideways.

This might be a moot point in a skoolie with kitchen knives etc. flying around.

I would def put knives in a secured locked box for safety.

[The bus stops here]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

if your benches are orientated parallel with the walls.. Then anchoring through the chair rail is feasible. If you're concerned about just a lap belt you could anchor a shoulder belt to the hat channel. vice just the lap belt through the chair rail.
So long as you have a "bulkhead" type armrest with your couch you should be good, as that is the same philosophy as the original partial walls that were in the school bus.

as for sitting sideways in a means of transportation, and only having a lapbelt.... C-130, CC115, CH 149, CH 147, CH146, CH 124, etc as the list goes on and on and on.... These are just some of the many Aircraft that have some various of sideways seating with just a clip in lapbelt, some are just rag n tube, but a bunch have airline type seats with a lapbelt as well....Many of which have also had civilian applications of the same form.
As with most crashes in any form of transportation, survivability usually has way less to do with passenger containment than it does with cargo containment..... IE you survive the initial crash and then get crushed by the loose kit behind/beside you, or that metal water bottle in the back of the vehicle becomes a projectile and bashes in your skull.. Or my personal favourite for wheeled vehicle......That 4lb purse dog sun tanning in the back window of a sedan, becomes a missile and breaks your neck....

School buses have a robust fuselage design, and many impact features to protect the things in the "tube" but depending on what you put back inside the tube you could very well just be putting a couple oranges in a dryer with a pair of work boots....... you're the oranges.......

not intending to scare anyone or be "over the top" with my scenarios but accident investigation is something I do for a living, and while as far as real world goes it centers around aviation....we study all means of transport and case studies that mirror comparable safety measures or circumstances.

What is a hat channel?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by The bus stops here

What is a hat channel?

He's talking about the ribs that form the walls and ceiling. They're called hat channels because that's the type of material that is used to form the ribs (the cross-section of the material looks like a hat).

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

if your benches are orientated parallel with the walls.. Then anchoring through the chair rail is feasible. If you're concerned about just a lap belt you could anchor a shoulder belt to the hat channel. vice just the lap belt through the chair rail.
So long as you have a "bulkhead" type armrest with your couch you should be good, as that is the same philosophy as the original partial walls that were in the school bus.

as for sitting sideways in a means of transportation, and only having a lapbelt.... C-130, CC115, CH 149, CH 147, CH146, CH 124, etc as the list goes on and on and on.... These are just some of the many Aircraft that have some various of sideways seating with just a clip in lapbelt, some are just rag n tube, but a bunch have airline type seats with a lapbelt as well....Many of which have also had civilian applications of the same form.
As with most crashes in any form of transportation, survivability usually has way less to do with passenger containment than it does with cargo containment..... IE you survive the initial crash and then get crushed by the loose kit behind/beside you, or that metal water bottle in the back of the vehicle becomes a projectile and bashes in your skull.. Or my personal favourite for wheeled vehicle......That 4lb purse dog sun tanning in the back window of a sedan, becomes a missile and breaks your neck....

School buses have a robust fuselage design, and many impact features to protect the things in the "tube" but depending on what you put back inside the tube you could very well just be putting a couple oranges in a dryer with a pair of work boots....... you're the oranges.......

not intending to scare anyone or be "over the top" with my scenarios but accident investigation is something I do for a living, and while as far as real world goes it centers around aviation....we study all means of transport and case studies that mirror comparablbe safety measures or circumstances.

so they had it right in days gone by when steel armour was the fashion dejour - lol

[Yukon Cornelius]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

so they had it right in days gone by when steel armour was the fashion dejour - lol

Not sure I would go quite that far but they were likely closer to the "most correct answer" but who knows......way more vehicles of all types out there now than ever before...

[REDD]

Originally Posted by Hayman19

I am trying to figure out how to install additional seat belts on my bench sofa, so I would have 4 seat belts in total, including the front seat and passenger seat.
Im having a hard time trying to find resources on seatbelt installation laws specific to Ontario, Canada. Maybe im not searching the correct keywords, but the only info I ever get is the legislative laws themselves. I know every passenger in Ontario needs a seatbelt, but finding anything on the installation itself seems impossible. I have a niece that would be joining us on our future adventures, and I need to make sure the seatbelts are installed correctly to fit her carseat.

If anyone has any ideas or tips, Id greatly appreciate it!

I couldn't find much either, I just bolted them through the floor with a 3 foot piece of angle iron underneath so the bolts couldn't pull through [nuts are welded to angle]. I'm not haulin' small children [car seats]. Had to make the shoulder bracket for the passenger side. Bought the belts on amazon.

[The bus stops here]

Originally Posted by REDD

I couldn't find much either, I just bolted them through the floor with a 3 foot piece of angle iron underneath so the bolts couldn't pull through [nuts are welded to angle]. I'm not haulin' small children [car seats]. Had to make the shoulder bracket for the passenger side. Bought the belts on amazon.



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These photos are great, thanks. Do you have any hesitation about not having anything behind the head in case of a side collision?