Originally Posted by
mudski
Reading the above link in Victoria I think we are fine...
"The following comment has been provided by Vic Roads.
This issue has been blown out of all proportion. There is no reason seats that are designed to be removable cannot be removed. Doing this DOES NOT alter the seating CAPACITY of the vehicle. Seating capacity is defined by the Australian Design Rules as the maximum number of seating positions for which the vehicle is DESIGNED - ie not the number of seats actually fitted at any point in time.
The Vehicle Standards Instruction L 5.0 has been provided by Queensland Transport and is reproduced in part:
For vehicles fitted with quick release seating attachments as original equipment, temporary removal of the seats is acceptable. A Modification Plate does not need to be fitted. This is commonly the case for four wheel drives and people movers.
For vehicles fitted with bolt in seating structures, no approval by an Approved Person is necessary for the temporary removal of seats, provided the category of the vehicle does not change as a result of the seating reduction.
Vehicles with the permanent removal of seating structures must be approved by an Approved Person and a Modification Plate must be fitted for the reduction in seating capacity. In this circumstance, any change in vehicle category must also be taken into consideration prior to the fitting of the Modification Plate. The vehicle operator's insurance company and Queensland Transport should be advised of relative changes to the vehicle."
Never really thought about this TBH. My rear seats are lonnnnng gone.
