[firstkings]

Sorry to clog up the forum with this question, but I cannot find an answer anywhere on the net, so here goes....

Does anyone know, perchance, whether it is legal/illegal in NZ to drive with the the middle seats in our toyota lucida set to the rear facing position (lap-belts fitted and working). Someone said it was illegal, but I cannot remember who or whether they were reliable. The kiddies (4 of them) like facing each other and it works well for us, but i don't want to fall foul of the law!

Someone out there might know.

Cheers in advance

[jubjub]

Depends on their age I suppose... although they recommend babies stay rear facing in their car seats as long as poss. so it may actually be safer for that child!

See if this helps..

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/07.html

[*Paul]

I'm guessing that was not what the question was :)

As long as the seatbelts are the correct type - the type that automatically keep tight without self-locking in a slack postion - my guess is that there is no issue as to which direction the seats face. The vehicle would not get into the country without this issue either being sorted out or exempted.

[saabmania2]

hi,
I have a fiat ulysse and in the handbook it state's that it is illegal to have the middle row facing rearwards I have spoken to a friend of mine that owns a toyota lucida and he said that it states similar in the manual for that. i do not know if these are just written for the uk market but my guess is that they are safety guidelines and are only too be used in the frontward facing postion whichever country they are used in. but maybe best to check with your local police.
hope that helps
Paul

[eternalkiwi]

I know other manufacturers have sold cars in NZ that had rear facing seats, so I do not think this would be illegal here, though it is possible that the Lucida may not be designed to handle a crash etc with people in the rear facing middle seats.

[NoelMC]

Merc Audi and Volvo all have estates that can be supplied with rear facing 6th and 7th seats. These are fixed in the rear facing position.
I used to have a Renault Espace that both front seats could be rotated by 180 deg. BUT only when the vehicle was at rest. (one of those was the drivers seat!)
I would suggest you check with the manufacturer, they should be able to provide you with the relevant information.

NoelMc