Crossing the border with 3 people in the RV

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CARMHED

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Posts
6
Hi,

I was wondering, can we have some trouble at the US border if we cross it with 3 people in the RV ? It's a class B and we only have 2 seat belts. Do we have to add one more?? Thanks a lot!

By the way, it's tghe Canadian/USA border...
 
I've never known a border guard to check on seat belt usage. In fact, my wife has to stand up on the passenger side of our Class A so they can see her for comparison to her EDL photo.
 
I don't know about the guys at the border, but if you get stopped by law enforcement in just about any state, you need to have a seat belt for everyone.

Wendy
 
Dutch  is correct,  don?t mess around at the border.  The Customs Officer is not interested in seat belts but you better have all people in the vehicle ?present them selves for inspection? and declare all items that you are bringing into the US.
 
Ok right. I don't really know how to proceed to put a seat belt on, so I guess I will do without it. I just need to get accross the border! Thanks very much for your answers!!
 
Some years ago I had a body shop add one to a car.  They seemd like they did it often and it went well.  Just finding a proper place to hook it through the floor so it holds.
 
State and provincial laws vary about who must be belted. Motorhomes are generally NOT subject to the identical seat belt laws as a passenger car - typically vehicles above a certain weight are covered by different laws. That is why buses don't need to have a seat belt in every seat, for example.  Typically front seat passengers would be required to belt in but others in the "living" area would not. Your Class B is kind of an in-between size, so not sure how provincial law would deal with it.

Note also that children are subject to separate restraint laws, so if your third passenger is a child there may be additional requirements.

In my experience Canadian police are very strict about enforcing seat belt laws, so make sure the front seat passengers are always belted when the vehicle is in motion.
 
CARMHED said:
Ok right. I don't really know how to proceed to put a seat belt on, so I guess I will do without it. I just need to get accross the border! Thanks very much for your answers!!

I don't know what province you are leaving from ... but if it is Ontario and you are driving a Class B ... or any other class of motorhome for that matter ... then all passengers must be seated in a seat position that has a working seatbelt. There are no exceptions for passengers not wearing a seatbelt ... unless medical note from doctor. As for what happens at the border ... as others have suggested I don't think they really care about your seatbelt. Most states I have travelled through have similar laws as those in Ontario. And of course there are child seat and booster seat considerations for children and infants.

Gary is correct about strict enforcement in Canada. I was a police officer for 35 years and there were not many people that could offer me an excuse that would not result in a ticket for not wearing their seatbelt.

And if I ever saw a child standing in a car ... and I have seen many over the years ... it was a guaranteed ticket for the driver for failing to ensure that a passenger under 16 was wearing their seatbelt.

Obviously you have already done whatever it is you had to do over the river (into the US) ... but in the future you may want to consider the safety of you passengers first.
 
I guess an answer from a police officer is the best advice that I can get! I didn't leave yet. I'm leaving in one months from Montreal and go to the western coast of USA (Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago), and also passing by Vancouver (at least, you can have an idea of which state I'm going to pass by).

So I guess I should get another seat with a seat belt, or put any seat belt back in the vehicle where there are some place to seat (which is a bench seat). Because If I have to plug another seat, I guess I don't know if I'm gonna have enough space to do so. Or maybe a jump seat is the best option ?
 
CARMHED said:
I guess an answer from a police officer is the best advice that I can get! I didn't leave yet. I'm leaving in one months from Montreal and go to the western coast of USA (Seattle, San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago), and also passing by Vancouver (at least, you can have an idea of which state I'm going to pass by).

So I guess I should get another seat with a seat belt, or put any seat belt back in the vehicle where there are some place to seat (which is a bench seat). Because If I have to plug another seat, I guess I don't know if I'm gonna have enough space to do so. Or maybe a jump seat is the best option ?

"CARMHED" - WOW ... that is a long way to go without having seatbelts for all passengers. My Winnebago ERA had seating for 7 passengers all with seatbelts. I removed the one passenger seat behind the driver side and replaced that with a cabinet. That leaves me six seat belted positions.

You mention that there is a bench seat in your vehicle. Did it not at one time have seatbelts?? If it was legally registered in Canada it would have had to have them at one time. I would suggest replacing them so as to be on the safe side ... both legally and for the safety of your passengers. God forbid ... but if you were involved in an accident and the passenger that didn't have a seatbelt was injured you could find yourself open to both criminal and civil litigation.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned.

Enjoy your travels.

 
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