Dune Buggies

[mikey4444]

When I was working in caerphilly yesterday, I saw a dune buggy being driven at high speed along the by-pass. There were two adults in the front, and a small boy, perhaps 5-6 years old in the rear ! I passed them further on, when they had pulled in and none of them were wearing seat belts.

The height of stupidity of course, to put the child's life at risk. If there had been an accident, the boy would have been thrown out of the vehicle.

I am not sure of the law here, although I would suspect that these kind of vehicles are included in seat belt law. I tried to get a number plate but I don't think the buggy had one.

[retrocop]

If registered to be used on the road and given vehicle approval it should be taxed and fitted with seat belts etc and no plates displayed.
Probably normally used on private land but taken for a spin on a public highway on this occasion!!

[retrocop]

Not no plates displayed but Number plates displayed.

[Baldric]

A lot of Buggies are based on old vehicles, often VW's, that are old enough not to require seat belts to be fitted.

[tonyav]

mikey, it depends on what year it was registered to, seat belts ( front )were not required to be fitted until 1967.
Could be that like most dune buggies it is based on a VW beetle floorpan that the donor car was registered before 1967.
https://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/aa-seat-belt-report.pdf

[tonyav]

Crossed posts there, Baldric.

[retrocop]

Baldric
True to an extent. I must confess I immediately thought of my dune buggy I purchased about 4yrs ago when I gave up motorbikes. It was a bug rider fully fitted for the road with rally/aircraft seat belts,lights,horn etc.

[tonyav]

Did it look anything like this, mikey. C'us if it did it was a beach buggy that you saw ( VW beetle based ).
http://www.myclassicuk.com/wp-content/gallery/beach-buggy/beach-buggy-bud-977-j.jpg

[tonyav]

And this is a dune buggy.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/cc/e6/ff/cce6ffdbd3258c4a296c1ef6c8c689a0.gif

[retrocop]

tonyav
The dune buggy is very similar to my bug rider which I sold 3 yrs ago but fully street legal.

[tonyav]

I have seen street legal dune buggies to, retrocop.

[mikey4444]

OK guys...it was probably a beach buggy, based on a VW Beetle, as the engine was plainly seen sticking out the back. It did have a roll cage.

But if it is true that these things don't need seat belts, than it seems to me that there is a hole in the law on such things. I am not a Dad but I am certain I would not have been speeding along at over 50mph, with a young child sitting in the back. In fact, he was almost standing up, clutching hold of the roll bar. If I could have seen a licence plate, I would have called the Police there and then.

[retrocop]

tonyav
This is what I had.

http://www.joujoumania.fr/buggy-ssv-occasion/buggy-occasion-pgo/4384/

Mikey. Did it look like above?

[mikey4444]

No R-cop...it looked like the red one that Tony posted, at 09:37.

[tonyav]

But if it is true that these things don't need seat belts


It is true mikey, if said beach buggy is built using a pre 1967 base car.

[tonyav]

Cool motor, retrocop. Looks good fun.

[vulcan42]

I always thought the Americans called them dune buggies and everybody else called them beach buggies, irrespective of the design, is that wrong?

[mikey4444]

Tony... (09:48)...if these vehicles are street-legal, then the law is an ass !

[tonyav]

The Americans like Baja buggies to, also a lot of those are VW based.
http://www.castlecreations.com/images/gfx-mamba_xl/gallery/Baja-Buggy-1-700w.jpg

http://img08.deviantart.net/a1c5/i/2009/034/c/1/blue_baja_bug_by_davila58.jpg

[retrocop]

tonyav
A pig to drive on the road at slow speed.Small steering wheel,short steering column and balloon front tyres unlike the ones on the photo.Add a passenger and you needed arms like Popeye to steer it. :-)

[tonyav]

I know where your coming from mikey, If the owner was safety conscious he could retro fit some seat belts.