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Minibus and Coach Seat Belts -
Advice on Retro-Fitting Seat Belts to Minibuses and Coaches (VSE2/96)

Annex 1:- Seat Belt Anchorage Requirements

Effective Anchorage Positions
Lower Anchorages
Lateral spacing	At least 350mm apart. Each anchorage should be at least 120mm laterally from the seating centreline.
Angle of belt, viewed from side	Between 20o and 80o to the horizontal
Upper Anchorage (if fitted)
Lateral location	At least 140mm laterally from the seating position centreline.
Vertical location	On a plane at least 525mm above the height of the compressed seat cushion.
Longitudinal location	With an occupant of average stature in the seat, the upper anchorage must lie to the rear of the shoulder.

The effective anchorage position is what determines the lie of the belt across the wearer. This may be different from the actual anchorage location that fixes the belt to the vehicle.

Anchorage Test Loads
Anchorage Loads (*1)
	Cars (*3) (M1)	Minibuses (M2)	Coaches (M3)
Lap belt	22.25 KN	11.1 KN	7.4 KN
Lap and diagonal belt: Lap section (*2)	13.5 KN	6.75 KN	4.5 KN
Lap and diagonal belt: Diagonal section (*2)	13.5 KN	6.75 KN	4.5 KN
Additional forward load per seat - integral seat belts only	20 x weight of complete seat	10 x weight of complete seat	6.6 x weight of complete seat

(*1)The load is applied through the belt in a forward direction. Anchorages must withstand the load for not less than 0.2 seconds.
(*2) Both sections are simultaneously tested.
(*3) This column has been included as some seat belt installers have been installing seat belts to this higher standard.

M1 category vehicle is used for the carriage of passengers and has no more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat.
M2 category vehicle is used for the carriage of passengers, and has more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat and a maximum mass not exceeding 5 tonnes.
M3 category vehicle is used for the carriage of passengers, and has more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat and a maximum mass exceeding 5 tonnes.

Annex 2:- Example of European Approval Label for Seat Belts

Ar4m

04,1234 04 1234

Key:-
Ar4m	Seat belt description
	ECE approval mark and code for member state granting approval
	EC approval mark and code for member state granting approval
04,1234 04 1234	Modification level and Approval number

Explanation of Markings

The approval mark consists of an

marking (in the case of approval to an UNECE Regulation) or an

marking (in the case of approval to an EU Directive). If a seat belt is approved to both standards, both markings may appear on the same label.

The number by the side of the marking represents the country which gave the original approval - in this case, 11 (for the UK) - but approvals from other participating countries or member states are equally acceptable.

The approval number will be different for every approved belt type. The first two digits represent the amendment level of the regulation to which the approval relates. 04 is the current approval level for ECE Regulation 16. 04 is the current approval level for EC Directive 77/541/EEC as last amended by 96/36/EEC.

The seat belt description outlines the main design features as follows:

A for a three-point belt

B for a lap belt, and

S for a special-type belt (normally a harness belt).

Additional letters may be used as follows:

r for a retractor belt, followed by;

3 for an automatic retractor (which locks the belt against the wearer) or

4 for an emergency-locking retractor (the standard inertia-reel type). An additional m is used to denote multi-sensitive mechanisms, and an additional N is used for reduced sensitivity systems (suitable for buses, but not for cars).

The above example illustrates a three-point belt with a multi-sensitive emergency locking retractor, allocated the approval number 1234. It is approved in the UK to the 04 series of UNECE Regulation 16, and to the EC Directive 77/541/EEC as last amended by 96/36/EEC.

Last updated 16 December 1996