I believe its a federal law, all states are 67 or 66 and older are not required to have seat belts. I have seen text for both years. I believe its 67 and older, because jan 1 68 is when the federal law went into effect, but for some reason I always see 66 brought up, but who knows how much stuff is true on the internet?! .
Going to install them in my 61 as my next thing to do. Too many close calls with dumbass drivers plus my wife and daughter want to go for rides. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
Money is on the way, a pair of those are mine I ride a motorcycle and have for many years. I survive by riding like everyone around me is out to kill me and by wearing a good full faced helmet and protective riding gear as well. I bought a pair of those belts from james 427. They are going in my 26 RPU. I would rather be belted in. In my 36 Sedan there were no seat belts. I felt wrong driving it. If I had kept it I would have installed full belts in it. I will drive my T knowing that I am vulnerable, without even the basic protection I have on 2 wheels. Driving a T roadster without belts would feel like riding my motorcycle naked
I always use them, required by law or not. Now here's another shameless plug for some nice aircraft belts. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=785945
I can't think of anyone I knew, who died in an car or truck accident in the last 15 years, that wasn't ejected from the vehicle from not wearing their seat belts. And in the older vehicles we all love, who wants to bounce their head off an unpadded dash or get a big old radio knob stuck in their face, let alone land on a shifter. Column or floorshift. Statistics don't lie, seat belts save lives.
When I redo the interior of the Merc this spring, belts are going in. Grandkids won't ride without them, even in parades.
I put them in every car we have--wife will not ride in a car without them or allow grandkids to ride without them either. I use them every time I drive these cars as there have been many folks hurt badly or killed by not using belts.
I had a '62 PontiacTempest LeMans convertible that wasn't made with seat belts. Shortly after the seat belt laws came into effect, I had 5 of my friends, including myself, in the car. A cop stopped me and was going to charge me, the driver, for 6 seat belt tickets. Fortunately, I was able to convince him that my car grandfathered in. He wasn't even going to check and I was a punk for humbly asking him. He didn't get any of my money that day. But other people have had to pay about $200.00 - $400.00 each for the following frivolous tickets: crossing a white line, not parking within 12 inches of the curb, parking facing the wrong direction on a residential street, going 2 miles over the speed limit, parking on their own lawns, blocking their own driveway, and having one of their two license plate illuminators out, planting the wrong kind of tree in their yards, cutting down their own tree, having two trailers in their driveway (a camper and a utility trailer), going the wrong way down an alley that was not marked as being a one-way-alley. I understand seat belts are safer. But the police sure do take a lot of money from us at the point of a gun. And they sure do drive nice cars. May God help you if you look a little different and don't blend in with all the normal cars or people. The police are not your friend or protector. They only take money from you. If someone commits a crime against you, there's no investigation. Only a report. I personally know a detective. He gets about 25 to 30 new cases a day to investigate. In an 8 hour day, that's about 15 minutes apiece. Why? Because there's no money in catching criminals. But there's between $200 to $400 for each ticket.
When I built my house 20 years ago the building inspector looked at the plan and said where's your driveway.... I said nothing paved.... he said where you gonna park? ... I said, wherever I want. It's dirt, I don't have no lawn, and nothing to mow. ('Course I can't tell anyone, get off my damn lawn !!)
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