Anyone know if we can use our 4/5/6pt harnesses as legal seatbelts in the state of Illinois?

I've got 6 point camlock harnesses and want to remove my factory seat belts. They locked anyways so they are useless.

 

In Illinois, I believe so. I took off my seatbelt in my 2g and put in a harness. Nobody has said a word. Got pulled over last year for speeding, and he didn't say anything. Got pulled over for something else too and they never said a word.
I think as long as your strapped down you should be ok.

 

Always have this URL bookmarked: it's the Illinois Vehicle Code, and defines whether or not something relating to your car is legal or not. Section 12, covering "Equipment for Vehicles", is probably the most important to folks here.

Usually, I pull that link out for tint questions; let's see what it says about seatbelts: Okay, that's not so helpful; basically, the Illinois Department of Transportation is supposed to set guidelines on how seat belts will be constructed and installed. According to the Illinois DOT, they don't bother specifying a set of requirements for safety belts, instead deferring to federal guidelines: Okay, now we're getting somewhere. FMVSS sections #209 and #210 are definitely the ones we want: Here's a link to Title 49, which has the full text of both section 209 and section 210, if you're really curious.

Now, what does any of that mean? It means that Illinois, like a lot of states, defers to federal standards for safety equipment like seat belts, which should mean that a "DOT-approved" (which is a phrase I'll avoid ranting about right now) harness should be legal; the main thing is ensuring they're installed according to section 210's requirements.

I'll also point out that there's actually a good article about this over at everything2; see the post by "drinkypoo" for details on FIA certification vs. DOT requirements.

Now, explain that to the officer when he pulls you over.

 

Wondering if I need to have all 6 hooked up while in commute. I've used the '3-point' configuration recently as it's a lot simpler and less contraining on trips.

 

If it's not DOT-rated, with a label on it specifically stating DOT approval, then it's not street legal in the USA. Some states actually enforce that rule, some don't. Same thing for tires, tail light lenses, glass, etc.

My personal opinion? Fixed shoulder harnesses have no place in street-driven vehicles. They're way too limiting in allowing a driver to move around enough to clearly see around the vehicle in traffic unless the shoulder straps are too loose to be effective. IMHO.

I have owned and operated many vehicles with 4, 5, & 6 point racing harnesses on the street over the past few decades and have never been questioned by any LE person about them.

 

Do you have a cage in your car?


Do you REALLY want to have to put on those damn belts everytime you get in your car? I don't know about you, but it's a PITA.

 

Before I get into the next part, I want to agree with Q15H: if your harness doesn't have some kind of DOT approval on it, you run the risk of being in violation of the federal mandates that I posted above. Also, the way you choose to mount it matters just as much as whether the harness itself is approved, from a legal standpoint.

Forget legal, for a moment.

Do you feel safe when restrained in a three-point configuration? If you were in a serious crash, would it keep you from flying out a window, or would it yield because the straps were spec'd assuming six of them restraining you instead of three? Does your harness manufacturer endorse that configuration?

The answer to those should answer your question.

My personal problem with a harness on the street isn't visibility; I've honestly never had a problem there, and I trust my mirror placement. My biggest problem is that there usually isn't a good way to comply with federal mounting requirements without making most harnesses fundamentally unsafe; that is, anchoring behind the seat just below the shoulders, with some kind of bar (Schroth and similar harnesses that use the OEM mounting points solve that problem).

And if you permanently install a harness bar, you should have a fixed-back seat (preferably anchored to the bar directly). If you have a fixed-back seat, though, you've put yourself at risk in a collision because the OEM seat is designed to break on impact, preventing the roof from killing you in a rollover.

So now you get rid of the harness bar, and add a proper cage. Ah, but as soon as you're in an accident, your head will hit the cage bars, and if you survive the impact, the fire will kill you because you can't get out of your jungle gym fast enough.

So now you need a helmet and fire suit.

In your street car.

To get the groceries.

 

^ hahaha that was an awesome post

 

LOL, yes, very true ^^