Questioncan you tell me if its illegal to have no seat belts on the rear?
I have just recently bought a 1969 bug and it hasn't got any.
Answer1973 was the first year the seatbelts for all passengers were mandated in the US. Up to that point, they were optional to even install, although by the mid 60's, most cars had front and rear seat belts from the factory. separate and hard to deal with shoulder belts didn't become somewhat common till the early 70's. Rear shoulder belts came even later.
I don't know if your '69 had the belts from the factory, but removing the rear seat (very easy to do) and looking for the mounting points will tell if they were ever installed, the evidence should be there. If you haven't removed the rear seat, you may even find them waiting for you.
But to answer your question, if your VW did NOT have them from the factory, it is NOT against the law to have ADULT people sitting in those seats without belts.
For instance, my 57 Chevy has no seat belts and never has had any. Any adult can ride in my car and it is legal. BUT, if I want my grandchildren to ride, I must put them in a legal booster seat if necessary, and MUST have proper seat belts for them. So I will be installing belts so that my grandchildren can ride with me from time to time.
Don
