Vehicles with lapbelts exempt from ruling
KUALA LUMPUR: Owners of passenger vehicles with lapbelts will not be forced to replace them with the three-point seatbelts.
Road Transport Department automotive engineering director Datuk Mohamad Dalib said it was not possible to retrofit these vehicles with the compulsory threepoint seatbelts as it would adversely affect their structural strength.
The department, he said, would allow these vehicles to retain the lapbelts until they were phased out.
Manufacturers of passenger vehicles said they would ensure that only three-point seatbelts were installed in their models.
National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd said its latest models, the Perdana, Persona, Saga and Ertiga, which were launched last year, were all equipped with three-point seatbelts.
“All our existing models come with three-point seatbelts, including in the rear centre seat, except for Proton Exora, which was launched much earlier,” it told the New Straits Times.
Proton also advised clients who owned models with a lapbelt in the back seat against attempting to fit their cars with three-point seatbelts, saying this would affect the cars’ structural strength.
“Our previous models, such as Proton Waja, Gen2, old Persona, Satria Neo and Savvy, come with the lapbelt (for the centre rear seat), as they were designed to comply with previous regulations, as well as internal specifications.
“Since the seatbelt system is mounted onto the car’s structure, any changes made to it would affect not only the performance of the seatbelt’s anchorage mechanism, but also the vehicle’s overall strength,” the carmaker said.
Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) said most of its models had three-point seatbelts.
All our existing models come with three-point seatbelts, including in the rear centre seat, except for Proton Exora, which was launched much earlier. PROTON HOLDINGS BHD
“Our newer models, Axia and Bezza, had since 2014 been fitted with three-point seatbelts.
“Our current Perodua Myvi 1.5L SE (launched in 2012) and Perodua Myvi Icon (launched in Jan 15, 2015) are also fitted with it,” a spokesman said, adding that an exception was the Perodua Alza.
Echoing Proton, Perodua said it would be impossible to retrofit older models as the vehicles would not be able to meet technical specifications.
Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd told the NST that those who bought the Honda City 2003 and 2005 models could refit the cars with a three-point seatbelt for the centre seat for free.
It said all current models were equipped with three-point seatbelts, except for the two versions of the Honda City.
“Affected customers can have it installed at any authorised Honda service dealers for free. However, there may be a waiting time of at least one month for the parts to be ready,” it said.