Seat belts and child restraints
| What the rule is | Where it goes wrong | |
|---|---|---|
| The driver | Uses the seat belt available to them. No exception for short trips or low speed. | “I am only driving round the corner.” The law names no distance: the duty applies as soon as the car moves. |
| Passengers | They too use the belt available to them. Art. 59 names driver and passengers in one sentence. | Thinking belts are optional in the back. The text draws no line between front and rear seats. |
| Child restraint system | Required when two conditions hold TOGETHER: under 18 years old and shorter than 1.35 metres. The system must carry an approval mark. | Remembering one condition. “Under 1.35 m” and “under 12” are both incomplete: the law says “and”, not “or”. |
| Number of passengers | On seats fitted with belts, no more passengers than there are belts. Four belts in the back never means five people. | “Children count as half.” They count as passengers; an extra child on a bench without a free belt cannot come along. |
The law itself
- RVV1990 art. 59
«Bestuurders van een personenauto, een bedrijfsauto, een driewielig motorvoertuig met gesloten carrosserie of een brommobiel en hun passagiers maken gebruik van de voor hen beschikbare autogordel.»
Verified on: