53 cranbrook question

i searched and couldnt find any info and im sure this is the dumb question of the day. did 1953 cranbrooks come factory with seatbelts? i dont see anywhere it could have had any. and if not is the law still if they didnt come factory it doesnt have to have them? i will most likely be adding some anyway but was wondering for legal reasons. thanks!

 

Unlikely that your car came equipped with seatbelts. I'm not sure what year they were first an option, but the earliest car that I ever had with factory seatbelts was a '62 Dodge Dart.

As far as laws governing seatbelt installation, that will vary from state to state. It used to be in CA that only OEM safety equipment was required, in other words if it didn't come from the factory with seatbelts, turn signals, etc., then it wasn't required. I'm not sure if that is still the case in CA or not. It gets kookier here all the time. In NV, your guess is as good as mine.

 

thanks, i found the NRS code saying if the vehicle was made before jan 1 1968 it doesnt have to have seatbelts if not installed factory. only other time i ran into this was with my 57 oval window VW. just wanted to check and see if it came with it. thanks again

 

Yep, '68 cars were the first to have mandatory belts.
FYI, Ford won Car Of The Year for the first optional seat belts in '56. Also padded dash. That's American cars, don't know about overseas.

 

55 ford was the first to offer them

 

Perhaps, but I believe it was in 1955 for the new 1956 models as those were highly advertised with many 'safety' improvements. Seat belts, padded dash cover, deep dish steering wheel and improved door latches.

Ray

 

sorry Tucker beat them in 1948.

 

When we bought our NEW 53 plymouth it did not come with seatbelts.

 

They did not come with seat belts but it is possible you could buy them as an accessory. Definitely, by 1955 or 56 they were available. All the car companies had them. Ford put big emphasis on their safety features in 55 and 56, Chevy put big emphasis on their speedy and powerful new V8. Chev beat Ford's brains out in sales. Result, everybody emphasized speed and power in their ads after that lol.

In 1963 it was mandatory to offer seat belts and have the seat belt mounts in every car sold, but they did not have to put in the seat belts unless the customer paid extra for them. From 1967 on seat belts were mandatory standard equipment in all cars.

So, your car could have had seat belts when new, or shortly thereafter. But very few cars got them. Usually Ramblers owned by accountants. Or guys who were going racing.

 

thanks for all the responses! learn something new everyday. looks like i will put some belts in eventually but atleast i know i can fight a seat belt ticket if they wanted to try

 

You should be more concerned with having a steering wheel shoved into your chest or having your knees shoved into the stout metal dash...in which case a ticket will be the least of your worries.
Yeah, I know about the first two issues from a wreck back in 1973 in an old truck.

.

 

Your car is perfectly legal without belts, they were not mandatory when it was built.

If you want to add belts you may be able to find some old school belts in a junkyard or on Ebay. If you do, have the nylon straps replaced. The webbing material deteriorates and loses strength after 10 years or so.