Do you buckle up?

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The subject of safety belts in classic cars is one that comes up every now and then. The main question is: do you need to use them? According to road traffic laws, there is a very simple answer. If you have built-in restraints in the car, they must be used.

But there are several aspects that need to be explored on this topic. I remember that I felt naked when, at the age of 20, I first got on the road with my freshly bought Jaguar 420G without straps. And I knew what I was talking about, because I’d already had an off in mom’s Alfasud TI ... without a driver's license. Thanks to the seatbelt, I was still sitting behind the wheel and was thus able to lead the car back to the road relatively intact after that first crash - without any rollover and further damage.

But when I put my ‘Old Mill Special’ on its inside rear-view mirror, it was good that I did not even wear the built-in lap belts so that I could duck myself onto the navigators seat. So I survived this barrel roll relatively intact with only one night in hospital. In short, whether you should wear safety belts or not, remains an open question.

Jaguars started having anchor points for three-point belts from about mid-1961. Should these be missing, they have been left out by a cost-conscious panelbeater on a rust repair, or they simply have not been discovered among all the tar mats, sheet metal patches, insulation materials or other unpleasant materials used throughout a vintage car life. What's almost more important today, however, is that every four-door Jaguar also has anchor points in the back, so you can easily attach a child’s seat with the correspondingly long belt. Inevitably, the question comes up: What about the Jaguar classics that were built before the summer of 1961? We now have enough experience so that we can also retrofit seat belts. Despite retro fitting, we can mount them so that the anchor points are installed rather inconspicuously.

We also had the chance to check how well our points withstand heavy impact. Last but not least, I have to admit that navigating in the passenger seat is simplified when you are tied to your seat. Sliding about in the car while trying to control time cards, maps and regularity sheets can be quite a challenge.

(Words Georg Donni, picture archive)  

Originally published: Monday February 12th, 2018

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