Table 2-4: Key Provisions of Safety Belt Use Laws: 2011

Friday, September 12, 2014

State	Effective¹	Enforcement²	Base fine³	Seat belt required		Exemptions
State	Effective¹	Enforcement²	Base fine³	Seats⁴	Ages⁵	Exemptions
Alabama	7/18/1991	Primary	Not more than $25	Front	All	Medical reasons, model year <1965, rural mail carriers/ newspaper delivery vehicles, vehicles operating in reverse.
Alaska	9/12/1990	Primary	Not more than $15	All	16 years and older	School buses, emergency vehicles, mail or newspaper delivery vehicles, non-highway vehicles (generally, off-road or snowmobiles).
Arizona	1/1/1991	Secondary	Not more than $10	All Front	5-15 years 5 years and older	Designed for >10 passengers, model year <1972, rural mail carriers, medical reasons.
Arkansas	7/15/1991	Primary	Not more than $25	Front	All	Model year < 1972. Not required when an emergency exists that threatens the life of a child or person operating a motor vehicle. Any child who is physically unable because of a medical condition (as certified by a physician) is exempted.
California	1/1/1986	Primary	Not more than $20	All	16 years and older	Medical reasons, emergency vehicles, rural postal service vehicles, newspaper delivery vehicles, recycling vehicles, taxis.
Colorado	7/1/1987	Secondary	$65	Front	All	Ambulence crew, peace officer, medical reasons, passenger buses, school buses, postal service vehicles, delivery and pickup service vehicles.
Connecticut	1/1/1986	Primary	$50⁶	Front	All	Medical reasons, emergency vehicles other than fire-fighting apparatus, postal service vehicles, newspaper delivery vehicles.
Delaware	1/1/1992	Primary	$25	All	16 years and older	Medical reasons, postal service vehicles, tractors, off-highway vehicles, electric personal assistive mobility devices.
District of Columbia	12/12/1985	Primary	$50	All	16 years and older	Vehicles manufactured before July 1, 1966; medical reasons; all seat belts occupied;seating for >8 people, taxis (6pm-6am).
Florida	7/1/1986	Primary	$30	All Front	6-17 years 6 years and older	Medical reasons; newspaper delivery vehicles; solid waste/ recyclable collection service vehicles working designated routes; persons traveling in the living quarters of a recreational vehicle or a space within a truck body primarily intended for merchandise or property; school buses; buses that transport for compensation; farm tractors or implements of husbandry; trucks >26,000 lb.
Georgia	9/1/1988	Primary	Not more than $15	All Front	8-17 years 18 years and older	Pickups, vehicles designed for >10 passengers, off-road vehicles, vehicles used for frequent stops (all seats), rural postal vehicles, newspaper delivery vehicles, emergency vehicles, driver in reverse, taxis, public transit vehicles.
Hawaii	12/16/1985	Primary	$45	All Front	8-17 years 15 years and older	Bus or school bus >10,000 lb, emergency vehicles, taxicabs. DOT may establish additional exemptions.
Idaho	7/1/1986	Secondary	$10	All	7 years and older	Vehicles >8,000 lb, mail carriers, implements of husbandry, motorcycles.
Illinois	1/1/1988	Primary	Not more than $25	All Front	18 years and under if driver is under 19 years 16 years and older	Motorcycles, vehicles that stop frequently for medical reasons, rural letter carriers, model year <1965.
Indiana	7/1/1987	Primary	Not more than $25	All	All	Medical reasons, vehicles that stop frequently, farm vehicles, RVs, postal vehicles, non-drivers in parades, public utility vehicles, towing recovery vehicles, occupant other than operator of vehicle used by a public utility in an emergency.
Iowa	7/1/1986	Primary	$50	All Front	17 years and under 18 years and older	Delivery vehicles that do not exceed 25 mph between stops, bus passengers, medical reasons, model year <1965, emergency vehicles, motorcycles, rural letter carriers.
Kansas	7/1/1986	Primary⁷	$10⁸	All Front	14-17 years 18 years and older	Designed for >10 people, truck >12,000 lb, off-road vehicles, postal vehicles, vehicles delivering newspapers.
Kentucky	7/15/1994	Primary	Not more than $25	All	All	Designed for >10 people, farm trucks registered for agricultural use only and with gross weight 2,000 lb or greater, motorcycles.
Louisiana	7/1/1986	Primary	$25⁹	All	13 years and older	Vehicles with gross weight >10,000 lb, utility vehicles traveling <20 mph, model year <1981, postal vehicles, farm vehicles, persons delivering newspapers.
Maine	12/26/1995	Primary	$50	All	All	Medical reasons, rural mail carriers, persons delivering newspapers, postal vehicles, passengers riding in taxi or limousine for hire.
Maryland	7/1/1986	Primary	Not more than $25	All Front	15 years and under 16 years and older	“Historical” vehicles, for-hire vehicles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, vehicles delivering mail, vehicles built before June 1, 1964.
Massachusetts	2/1/1994	Secondary	$25¹⁰	All	All	Buses, trucks 18,000 lb or more, taxis, utility vehicles, model year <1966, postal vehicles, farm vehicles, authorized emergency vehicles, side-facing seat in car owned for antique collecting.
Michigan	7/1/1985	Primary	$25	Front	All	Medical reasons, taxis, buses, school buses, postal service vehicles, model year <1965, commercial vehicles making frequent stops.
Minnesota	8/1/1986	Primary	$25	All	All	Farm pickup trucks, postal vehicles, commercial vehicles making frequent stops and going <25 mph between stops, vehicles driving in reverse, persons riding in a vehicle in which all the seating positions equipped with seat belts are occupied by other persons in seat belts, model year <1965, medical reasons.
Mississippi	7/1/1994	Primary	$25	Front	All	Vehicles driving in reverse, farm vehicles, medical reasons, buses, postal vehicles, utility meter readers’ vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, vehicles designed to carry >15 persons, trailers.
Missouri	9/28/1985	Secondary (primary for <16 years old)	Not more than $10¹¹	Front	All	Vehicles designed for >10 people, trucks >12,000 lb, postal service vehicles, vehicles requiring frequent entry or exit, agricultural vehicles.
Montana	10/1/1987	Secondary	$20	All	All	Medical reasons, motorcycles, taxis, vehicles making frequent stops, occupants of motor vehicle in which all seat belts are being used by other occupants.
Nebraska	1/1/1993	Secondary	$25	All Front	16 years and under 18 years and older	Taxis, mopeds, motorcycles, emergency vehicles, model year <1973, parade vehicles.
Nevada	7/1/1987	Secondary	Not more than $25	All	All	Medical reasons, public transportation vehicles, postal service vehicles, emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles not exceeding 15 mph. Any vehicle or seating position if the State determines compliance is impractical.
New Hampshire	n/a	No law for persons 18 years or older (primary for <18 years old)	$50 for persons <18 years old	All	17 years and younger	n/a
New Jersey	3/1/1985	Primary (secondary for rear seat occupants)	$20	All	All	Vehicles manufactured before 1966, medical reasons, rural letter carriers, fewer belts than seats.
New Mexico	1/1/1986	Primary	$25	All	All	Vehicles >10,000 lb, medical reasons, rural letter carriers.
New York	12/1/1984	Primary	Not more than $50	All Front	15 years and under All	Buses, school buses, taxis, liveries, emergency, rural letter carriers.
North Carolina	10/1/1985	Primary (secondary for rear seat occupants)	$25.50 ($10 for rear)	All	All	Medical reasons, farm vehicles, postal vehicles, designated commercial vehicles, delivery vehicles traveling <20 mph, trash/recycling trucks.
North Dakota	7/14/1994	Secondary	Not more than $20	All Front	17 years and under All	Designed for >10 people, farm vehicles, rural mail carriers, medical reasons, all front seat belts in use by other occupants.
Ohio	5/6/1986	Secondary	$30 driver $20 passenger	All Front	8-14 years 15 years and older	Postal service vehicles, medical reasons, vehicles delivering newspapers.
Oklahoma	2/1/1987	Primary	Not more than $20	All Front	All 12 years and older	Farm vehicles, RVs, motorcycles, motorized bicycles, postal service vehicles, school buses, taxicabs, emergency vehicles.
Oregon	12/7/1990	Primary	Not more than $250	All	All	Vehicles in interstate commerce, designed for >15 passengers, newspaper and mail vehicles, meter and transit vehicles, for-hire vehicles, trash trucks, emergency vehicles, taxicab operators.
Pennsylvania	11/23/1987	Secondary	$10	All Front	8-17 years 18 years and older	Vehicles manufactured before 1966, medical reasons, trucks >7,000 lb, rural letter carriers, delivery vehicles, vehicles traveling <15 mph.
Rhode Island	6/18/1991	Primary¹²	$85	All	All	Vehicles manufactured before 1966, medical reasons, postal service vehicles.
South Carolina	7/1/1989	Primary	Not more than $25	All	All	Medical reasons, emergency vehicles, postal service vehicles, delivery vehicles, parade vehicles; school, church, or day care buses; vehicles except taxis, vehicles in which all seating positions with seat belts are already occupied, persons occupying vehicles not originally equipped with seat belts.
South Dakota	1/1/1995	Secondary	$25	All Front	17 years and under 18 years and older	Motorcycles, motorized bicycles, vehicles manufactured before 1973, medical reasons, passenger buses, school buses, farm vehicles, rural mail carriers, newspaper or periodical delivery vehicles.
Tennessee	4/21/1986	Primary	Not more than $50¹³	All	All	Vehicles >8,500 lb, rural letter carriers, utility workers, newspaper delivery vehicles, automobile salespersons who drive <50 miles per day on average, parade vehicles, hayrides crossing a highway from one field to another if operated at <15 mph.
Texas	9/1/1985	Primary	$50	All	All	Farm vehicles <48,000 lb, postal service vehicles, newspaper delivery, meter readers.
Utah	4/28/1986	Secondary (primary for drivers and occupants 18 years and younger)	Not more than $45	All	All	Vehicles manufactured before 1966, medical reasons, all seats occupied or person is riding in a seating position not equipped with seat belts.
Vermont	1/1/1994	Secondary (primary for drivers and occupants 17 years and younger)	$25	All	All	Buses, taxis, rural mail carriers, delivery vehicles traveling <15 mph, emergency vehicles, farm tractors, vehicles ordered by emergency personnel to evacuate persons from stricken area.
Virginia	1/1/1988	Secondary (primary for passengers 17 years and younger in all seats)	$25	All Front	17 years and under 18 years and older	Medical reasons, trucks >10,000 lb, school buses, motor homes, taxis, police vehicles enforcing parking or transporting prisoners, law enforcement officers when seat belts are impractical, rural mail carriers, newspaper delivery vehicles, utility meter readers, commercial vehicles making frequent stops.
Washington	6/11/1986	Primary	$124	All	All	Medical reasons, vehicles designed for >10 people; when all designated seating positions are occupied; vehicles exempted by State regulation, including farm construction or commercial vehicles making frequent stops.
West Virginia	9/1/1993	Secondary	Not more than $25	All Front	8-17 years All	Motorcycles, vehicles designed for >10 people, vehicles manufactured before 1967, medical reasons, rural mail carriers, trailers. All seat belts in use and vehicle contains more passengers than total number of seat belts or other safety devices installed in compliance with Federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Wisconsin	12/1/1987	Primary	$10	All	All	Emergency vehicles in which compliance could endanger passngers; taxis, farm trucks engaged in farming, rural mail carriers, land surveyors.
Wyoming	6/8/1989	Secondary	Not more than $25¹⁴	All	All	Medical reasons, postal vehicles; excess passengers exempted if all seats occupied.

¹Effective date of first belt law in the state.

²Primary enforcement enables police officers to stop vehicles and write citations whenever they observe a violation of the seat belt law. Secondary enforcement allows police officers to write a citation for seat belt infractions only after stopping a vehicle for some other traffic infraction.

³Additional processing and surcharge fees are likely to apply.

⁴The word “All” used in this category means everyone must be restrained. For children, that may be in a CR

⁵May include rear-facing CRs, forward-facing CRs, and booster seats.

⁶If a driver under 18 years old commits a violation, he/she is subject to a higher fine of $75.

⁷Secondary enforcement for other seating positions.

⁸The fine is $60 for violators 14-17 years old.

⁹Louisiana HB 197 was signed by the Governor on May 29, 2012, to expand the seat belt requirement for all seating positions to include SUVs.

¹⁰Drivers in Massachusetts may be fined $25 for violating the belt law themselves and $25 for each unrestrained passenger 12-16 years old.

¹¹The fine is $50 for violators 8-15 years old.

¹²Rhode Island’s primary seat belt law includes a sunset provision that will revert the law to secondary enforcement on June 30, 2013.

¹³In lieu of a court appearance, a first offender may pay a fine of $10; for a second or subsequent offense, the fine is $20.

¹⁴Not less than $10 for passenger or more than $25 for driver.

KEY: n/a = not applicable

NOTES: For the most current provisions of state seat belt laws, see the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Safety Belt Use Laws, available at /iihs.org/laws/SafetyBeltUse.aspx. For more information on child restraint laws, see Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report, available at www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Cats.

SOURCES: Effective Dates: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, Safety Belt Use Laws, available at www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/safety-belts/topicoverview as of June 2014. Enforcement, Base fine, Seat belt required and Exemptions: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 2011, table 126, available at www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Cats as of June 2014.

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Table 2-4: Key Provisions of Safety Belt Use Laws: 2011