Front Seat Belt

I don't see why the government would care which side it hooks to. My truck has two seatbelts that come over the right shoulder... In fact, all passenger cars do. Why should the Elio be singled out? Seatbelts come over the outside shoulder and I suppose that could help stop you from being slung out an open door... Hmm... Maybe... Whatever. I won't be hauling people around very often.

Ty said:

I don't see why the government would care which side it hooks to. My truck has two seatbelts that come over the right shoulder... In fact, all passenger cars do. Why should the Elio be singled out? Seatbelts come over the outside shoulder and I suppose that could help stop you from being slung out an open door... Hmm... Maybe... Whatever. I won't be hauling people around very often.

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Bingo!

Stephen Workman said:

Looking at some of the online pics of the P5 interior, I noticed an attachment/adjustment point on the RIGHT pillar @ the seat-back location. Hopefully, that is where the production attachment point will be located for the driver's seat belt. If not, it shouldn't be that difficult to move - as long as the right-hand attachment point is still there.

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Wait a minute.... I thought the seatbelt was gonna go on the right side to keep it from blocking the passenger from getting in and out? Why is it now on the left side?

cantwait said:

Seatbelts come over the outside shoulder and I suppose that could help stop you from being slung out an open door.

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Bingo!

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By ... tangling around your neck? If you get tossed toward the door, the belt that goes over your shoulder will catch on your neck. And if some force is strong enough to rip open your door and toss you forcefully out the door, I'd give it better than even odds of snapping your neck.

The NHTSA standards relevant to seat belts are available for free from the GPO:

49 CFR 571.209 - STANDARD NO. 209; SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES.
49 CFR 571.210 - STANDARD NO. 210; SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES.

This makes no mention at all of any required inboard/outboard orientation of the actual seat belt anchor points. All kinds of regulations on anchor strength, belt position, belt length, belt strength, retractors, buckles, etc. But not a single phrase that could be interpreted to say that the belt has to come over the driver's left shoulder, or the shoulder that is closest to the door. Manufacturer's put them over the "outboard" shoulder because that's where the frame attachment point it.

Besides, this:

S2. Application. This standard applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and school buses.

No mention of motorcycles or autocycles. Not sure how this applies to the Elio anyway...

Rob Croson said:

By ... tangling around your neck? If you get tossed toward the door, the belt that goes over your shoulder will catch on your neck. And if some force is strong enough to rip open your door and toss you forcefully out the door, I'd give it better than even odds of snapping your neck.

The NHTSA standards relevant to seat belts are available for free from the GPO:

49 CFR 571.209 - STANDARD NO. 209; SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES.
49 CFR 571.210 - STANDARD NO. 210; SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES.

This makes no mention at all of any required inboard/outboard orientation of the actual seat belt anchor points. All kinds of regulations on anchor strength, belt position, belt length, belt strength, retractors, buckles, etc. But not a single phrase that could be interpreted to say that the belt has to come over the driver's left shoulder, or the shoulder that is closest to the door. Manufacturer's put them over the "outboard" shoulder because that's where the frame attachment point it.

Besides, this:

S2. Application. This standard applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and school buses.

No mention of motorcycles or autocycles. Not sure how this applies to the Elio anyway...

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Good points, all. And the following is raw speculation...but for many Federal rules, there is a corollary body of agency interpretation...sometimes within the CFRs, sometimes not. And 'violating' those interpretations can be as much trouble as the rule itself. I don't know well NHTSA or the FMVSS but just aware that 'changing the minds' of the regulators may be on the minds of EM folks even if a rule is not actually at issue.

It will be moved to the starboard side of the cabin per a representative at the L.A. Auto Show today. Passenger egress was mention as the reason to move it. Please remember the P in P5 means prototype.

Paul told me that it will be over the driver's right shoulder.


at 30 minutes in.

Kind of pisses me off the P-5 has it on the left. But, it will be corrected.