Get new seatbelts or fail WOF, drivers told

Vehicle owners will have to replace worn seatbelts with more expensive new models or fail the warrant of fitness (WOF) test under new rules that came into effect yesterday.

Frayed or torn "locking mechanism" front seatbelts that fail WOF requirements must be replaced with new "webbing clamp" belts, Land Transport Safety Authority spokesman Andy Knackstedt said.

Older belts can slip in crashes, allowing wearers to move forward, but webbing clamps hold belts firm.

"It's really targeted at the used import market," he said. "Mainly vehicles aged six to 16 years old."

The new belts cost about $30 more to buy than old models, retailing at $130-$160 each.

The rules were introduced a year ago with a one-year lead-in period to allow the industry to build up stocks of the new belts.

- NZPA