Is it Legal to Remove Front Passenger Seat of Car?

Q.

I plan on moving some large items in my car and don't want to leave them sticking out of the boot. Is it legal to remove the front passenger seat of the car to use the space? Obviously, the load will not obstruct my mirrors, or interfere with my ability to change gear, and will be secured.

A.

To answer your question, it is legal for you to remove your front passenger seat to safely transport large items, but there are some things you need to be aware of before you make the decision to do so.

First of all, is it a sensible idea? Is the space really as big as you think it will be? You might be better off just folding the seats down as far as you can or leaning them back. If that doesn't work, check underneath the passenger seat you are intending to remove. There are often electrics boxes and carpet joins underneath the front passenger seat which can make it really tricky and sometimes pointless to remove the seat to gain that extra space.

Next, check whether or not the car has front and/or back seat airbags? If so, this can cause problems when you are removing the seat. If not done properly, it can lead to the vehicle mechanism thinking that there has been an impact and setting off one or both of the airbags. In most cases to avoid this you will need to disconnect the battery for several hours before carrying out the seat removal, but to be safe you should consult an expert and the relevant manual for your car make and model. If you intend to refit the seat once you have finished transporting the items, then short-cuts could prove disastrous when it comes to putting the seat back safely.

Something else that you should be aware of is that the front passenger seat area of a car is often considered to be the most likely part of a car to be the point of impact in an accident - and if you have large and heavy items in that area, then even when secured they can cause serious damage and potentially death if they are hit and pushed over onto your side of the vehicle.

If you decide to go ahead with the seat removal and you are stopped by a police officer while you are transporting the items in question, as long as they are happy that you can see clearly in all of your mirrors, that the load is safe and secure and that your driving is not impeded in any way, then you will not be committing an offence and should be allowed to go on your way without further investigation.

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