Removing the passenger seat.

I have a Nissan  NV200,  and ask the question,  is it a good idea to totally  remove the front passenger seat. Have you done it? I am single and don't  forsee  a companion at the moment. Interested  in your thoughts.

I removed the passenger seat on my Express. First I put a cabinet in that space, but now my fridge is there. In the seven years I've lived in the van, there have been a half dozen times when a passenger seat would've been handy, but we made other arrangements.

In this latest build I’m in now I remove the passenger seat in the front. Been living full-time since June 1 and there were maybe two times I could’ve used it but it was easy to find somebody else to drive that person. It really makes sense for me because I put my recliner that I sleep in in that same spot facing the rear. It’s just too much space to waste.

Thanks for the two replies, I so many times think of a second person with me but has never been a good choice for me i.e. fishing getting a bigger craft and end up going by myself 90% of the time. I am thinking of a ISCO40 fridge that will take far too much room inside the van hence my question. I guess a passenger can sit on the bed/bunk if a real need arises.

Instead of taking it out altogether, maybe turn it around to face back? You can use it to lounge...

Linecaster said:

Thanks for the two replies,  I so many times think of a second  person with me but has never been a good choice for me i.e. fishing getting a bigger craft and end up going by myself 90% of the time. I am thinking of a ISCO40 fridge that will take far too much room inside the van hence my question. I guess a passenger  can sit on the bed/bunk if a real need arises.

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Check the law. What you are suggesting is that it is legal to not have a seat belt for a passenger, and I don't believe that is true.

Sophisintown, good suggestion thanks. I still have the problem of the fridge, maybe just move it if I want to sit in the chair, bears consideration
Jaqueg, I was not thinking it out and it did cross my mind after posting, you're right illegal not to be properly strapped in.

Illegal unless you're on a motorcycle, a bus or a jalopy.. Revenue scams should be illegal!

Linecaster said:

illegal not to be properly strapped in.

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That's why they need to hide in the back while driving... Have done it many times, for non-regular passengers.

If you are space limited and can use the room, removing that seat is a very viable option.

rruff said:

That's why they need to hide in the back while driving... Have done it many times, for non-regular passengers.

If you are space limited and can use the room, removing that seat is a very viable option.

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You will be in very deep doodoo if there is an accident., Just sayin'.

There are a lot of variables depending on what state you are in, what type of vehicle and situation. Used to be the only time it was legal to transport people in folding chair in the center isle of a bus was if they were migrant workers as an example of a test question when getting a CDL license that most people missed because they assumed it would be illegal. Check laws of the states and with your insurance company’s written policies.

jacqueg said:

You will be in very deep doodoo if there is an accident., Just sayin'.

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Why? Assuming that your passenger is an adult, they can make their own decision. The insurance company may reduce liability for *their* injuries (understandably so), but that is it.

jacqueg said:

You will be in very deep doodoo if there is an accident.

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rruff said:

Why? Assuming that your passenger is an adult, they can make their own decision. The insurance company may reduce liability for *their* injuries (understandably so), but that is it.

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Based on a quick-and-dirty Google it looks like legal responsibility does rest with the driver in some states if not all. In any case, loss of insurance coverage could put you on the hook for huge medical bills, and that's certainly one kind of deep doodoo.

Morgana said:

Based on a quick-and-dirty Google it looks like legal responsibility does rest with the driver in some states if not all. In any case, loss of insurance coverage could put you on the hook for huge medical bills, and that's certainly one kind of deep doodoo.

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You are legally responsible in a few states, meaning the driver can get a ticket if a passenger doesn't wear a seatbelt. That is completely different and unrelated to insurance payments for injuries.

I tried but was unable to find an answer regarding whether the driver would ever be held liable for an un-seatbelted adult passenger's injuries... and got nothing. Only tickets are mentioned. Insurance companies (yours or the other driver's depending on who was at fault) will pay for injuries up to the limit, regardless. If an insurance company determines that a law was broken (seatbelt not worn), then they may seek to reduce the injury payment for that passneger on this basis. That's where possibly, the driver could be sued by the passenger.

I did find a page regarding riding in the back of a pickup though, which would be even more extreme. Believe it or not, in 18 states it's legal to ride in the back of a pickup, with no restrictions whatsoever! Yes, even babies and toddlers apparently... even though everyone has strict laws about how they should be secured *inside* the cab. The rest of the states have some restrictions, but most of them are just age related... if you are old enough (12-18) then it's legal.
https://www.drivesafeonline.org/traffic-school/is-it-legal-to-ride-in-the-back-of-pickup-trucks/
At any rate I'd have no worries about an unseatbelted passenger in the back of my rig.

In Minnesota all passengers must be belted or in an age appropriate child seat (if the vehicle has one the child(ren) must be in the back seat). MS 169.686
- It is a primary offense (you can be stopped for a seatbelt infraction).
- Passengers 15 years old and older are ticketed.
- Driver is ticketed for passengers under 15 years old.

Surprisingly, it is legal in Minnesota to ride in a pull behind trailer or pickup camper (obviously they don't have seatbelts).

^^^ Just for your information if you are riding “in” the back of a pickup you must be inside preferably seated on the floor with no parts of the body outside of or on the tailgate or bedsides. Sitting on the tail gate or bed sides will get you pulled over and possibly a ticket for some type of safety violation again depending on what state you are in. Doing head stands on the roll bar definitely gets you noticed, don’t ask me how I know! Lol!!! A lot of states have conflicting laws.

Spaceman Spiff said:

Surprisingly, it is legal in Minnesota to ride in a pull behind trailer or pickup camper (obviously they don't have seatbelts).

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Also one of the states where it's legal for anyone to ride in a pickup bed...

44 states allow people to ride in truck campers, only 11 for bumper-pull trailers, and 23 for 5th wheel trailers.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/passengers-in-campers-504228
So... I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that in all those states that allow people to ride in truck campers, you will not be bothered for someone riding in your van without a seatbelt... when there is none available.

Just to make it more confusing, how about RVs? 28 states allow adults to be in the back of an RV without seatbelts. 22 do not.

https://rv-roadtrips.thefuntimesguide.com/rv-seat-belt-laws/
41 states allow adults to ride in the back of pickups, so what sense does that make? None. I think it comes down to the mood and preferences of the people who vote on these laws... and a big factor is whether seatbelts are commonly available. If they are, then chances are good you'll be required to use them. If not, then it depends.

Before unbolting the seat, disconnect all of the plugs that go to it. I.e. one plug might sense weight and starts the seat belt chime, etc. etc. Now see if it will start. Took mine to a mechanic to remove back seat and passenger seat and he informed me that it may not start and that I would have to get creative and fabricate some jumper assemblies that mimic what ever the CPU is looking for; (a switch status, resistance value in ohms, etc) I stopped at that point.

Linecaster said:

I have a Nissan NV200, and ask the question, is it a good idea to totally remove the front passenger seat. Have you done it? I am single and don't forsee a companion at the moment. Interested in your thoughts.

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Not an answer but a short story. My dad turned a step-van into a camper back in the early 60s. No front seat or he removed it. At the very back were two double bunk beds to sleep 4vpeople across the width. That’s where my sister and I rode. Went across a railroad crossing at speed and my sister and I hit the ceiling. No injuries, good story.