The riddle of the seat belts

Recently my three-year-old daughter pointed out that she did not want her school van because it did not have a seat belt and was, therefore, not safe. Pleased as I was that my lecturing on safety in cars had been absorbed, I was at a loss for an answer as I knew that, as much as I cared for her safety, I did not know whether school vans were obliged to have seat belts or not.

The following day I called the Malta Transport Authority hoping they would give me a clarification of the law. I was told that if the vehicles were manufactured without seat belts then it was not obligatory to install them as this would be more dangerous for the passengers.

Please note that this explanation was equally valid for seat belts for back seats in cars as well as for school vans. The reason given to me was that the design and anchorage of the vehicle could not sustain a seat belt and that was why it became more dangerous for the passenger!

Rather confused I pointed out that way back in the mid-1990s, when seat belts became obligatory for front seats, cars which were not manufactured with seat belts had to have such gadgets installed, failure of which would mean a penalty at law. This time the reason given was that for front seats, installation post manufacture was not considered dangerous and that therefore anchorage and design of the car for front seats could sustain seat belts.

Knowing that in the field of engineering logic prevails, the answer given to me seems unsatisfactory.