Taxi drivers are the only motorists who are sometimes allowed to drive without seat belts. It is often thought that this is because they have to get in and out often, but the real reason ironically has to do with safety.
In the Netherlands, taxi drivers do not have to seatbelt to wear if they have passengers in the taxi. Without passengers, they must wear a seat belt. This exception only applies to so-called ‘street taxi drivers’ and not to contract transport.
Belt as a noose
The reason is that street taxi drivers often have unknown people in the taxi and there is a chance that the customer will pull the seat belt around the driver’s neck and uses him as a noose in this way. He or she must also be able to quickly leave the car in the event of a robbery. Passengers in the taxi must always wear a seat belt. If the taxi is stopped and you as a customer are not wearing a seatbelt, the passenger who is not wearing a seatbelt will receive the ticket himself.
Do not refuse customers without a seat belt
Previously, the driver was also responsible for the passenger and was fined if the passenger was not wearing a seat belt. This outdated fact is still persistently believed, but that has changed. In the Netherlands it is the responsibility of the passenger to wear the seat belt. Taxi drivers are also not allowed to refuse customers if they do not want to wear a seat belt. It is their choice and ultimately they also pay any fine.
Children and seat belts in the taxi
However, if an accident occurs in a cab and the passenger is injured, the taxi driver or taxi company is liable for the damage suffered by the passenger. Whether or not the passenger was wearing a seat belt during the accident does not matter. Children do not have to sit in a special child seat in the taxi. This is not necessary because it is not feasible for taxi companies to include a child seat in every taxi all the time. They must sit in the back of the taxi and must use a seat belt from the age of three. Children under the age of three may be transported separately in the back seat.
Seat belts are also not required in these cases
Taxi drivers are not the only ones who are not required to wear seat belts. For drivers of cars built between January 1, 1971 and January 1, 1990, the seat belt requirement does not apply to the back seat. If your car dates from before January 1, 1971, seat belts are not mandatory at all. Seat belts also do not have to be ‘on’ when you drive backwards. In all other cases you can use a receive a fine of 160 euros.
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