This Safety Alert is to draw attention to the dangers of driving vehicles (including when providing passenger services) with damaged or frayed seatbelts.
Vehicle owners have safety obligations under the law to ensure vehicles are safe to be driven on the road and appropriately maintained. Service providers must ensure that this safety standard is met, and drivers must not provide passenger services in an unsafe vehicle.
Background
During routine on-street compliance checks, Authorised Officers for the Point to Point Transport Commissioner have detected multiple vehicles with damaged or frayed seatbelts while providing passenger services.
Each driver was directed to stop providing passenger services immediately and informed that:
- the vehicle was not roadworthy and could not be used to provide passenger services
- the frayed or damaged seatbelts put the driver and their passengers at risk of severe injury.
These vehicles could not be used for passenger services until the seatbelts were repaired or replaced, and a safety check completed.
The danger
DO NOT DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH A DAMAGED OR FRAYED SEATBELT
Damaged or frayed seatbelts lose their ability to protect the driver and passengers from serious injuries in the event of an accident.
Attempting to repair frayed seatbelts by trimming loose fabric strands with scissors, adding additional fabric or other reinforcements to damaged areas is not a suitable repair. Attempts to repair seatbelts by an unqualified person can increase the risk of danger to the driver and their passengers.
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Responsibilities
It is illegal to drive a car with damaged or frayed seatbelts. The service provider, the licence holder, the vehicle owner and affiliated provider or facilitators are all responsible for the maintenance of the vehicle – which includes seatbelts and other restraints.
Drivers should perform a pre-departure check every time they drive a vehicle. This check must include checking for wear or damage of seatbelts and other restraints. Service providers must have effective procedures in place to ensure drivers are doing pre-departure checks in their Safety Management System.
Vehicle owners are reminded that the repair or replacement of damaged or frayed seatbelts must be part of their preventative maintenance schedule.
IT IS AN OFFENCE TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH FRAYED OR DAMAGED SEATBELTS
Penalties
Providing a passenger service in a vehicle that has worn, damaged or frayed seatbelts constitutes a breach of the vehicle standard under the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Regulation 2017.
Resources
More information on vehicle registration standards and obligations can be found on the Point to Point Transport Commissioner’s website:
• Safety Standards for taxis
• Safety Standards for vehicles providing booked services
• Safety duties and standards
