|
|
State or U.S. Territory 1 |
Type of Law 2 |
Fine 3 |
Coverage |
Seats |
Persons |
|
|
Vehicles Exempted |
Alabama |
Primary |
$25 |
Front |
Ages 6+ except medical reason or
newspaper/mail delivery |
Vehicles for > 10 passengers, model
year < 1965, vehicles driving in reverse |
Alaska |
Secondary |
$15 |
All |
All |
except medical reason or newspaper/mail delivery |
School buses, vehicles with no safety belts, emergency
vehicles |
Arizona |
Secondary |
$10 |
All in front seat & ages 5-15 in rear, except medical
reason or mail delivery |
Vehicles for > 10 passengers, model year < 1972 |
Arkansas |
Secondary |
$25 |
Front |
All except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
School, church, & public buses; model year < 1968 |
California |
Primary |
$20 |
All |
All except medical reason,
newspaper/rural mail delivery, waste/recycling collection |
Emergency vehicles |
Colorado |
Secondary |
$15 |
All |
All except medical reason, delivery/pickup services;
primary law if driver < 18 |
Buses, ambulances, farm tractors, husbandry vehicles,
vehicles not required to have belts |
Connecticut |
Primary |
$37 |
All in front seat and 4-16 in rear,
except reason or delivery service |
if medical |
Vehicles > 10,000 lbs, public
vehicles, emergency vehicles |
Delaware |
Primary |
$25 |
All |
All except medical reason, mail
delivery |
Tractors, off-road vehicles |
District of Columbia |
Primary |
$50 + 2 points |
All |
All except medical reason |
Taxis, vehicles for > 9 passengers,
farm vehicles, model year <1966 |
Florida |
Secondary |
$30 |
All in front seat and 6-17 in rear, except medical reason
or newspaper delivery |
Living space of RVs, school & public buses, farm
tractors, trash trucks, trucks > 5,000 lbs. |
Georgia |
Primary |
$15 |
All |
in front seat, and 6-17 in rear,
except medical or newspaper/rural mail delivery |
reason |
Pickup trucks, off-road vehicles,
vehicles for > 10 passengers, emergency vehicles, vehicles making frequent stops, vehicles in reverse, model year < 1965 |
Hawaii |
Primary |
$45 |
All in front seat and 4-17 in rear,
except medical reason |
Taxis, buses & school buses > 10,000
lbs, emergency vehicles, vehicles not required to have belts |
Idaho |
Secondary |
$10 |
All |
All, except if medical reason, all belts used, or mail
delivery |
Vehicles > 8,000 lbs, emergency vehicles, husbandry
vehicles |
Illinois |
Primary |
$25 |
All in front seat and 8-15 in rear,
except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Emergency vehicles, vehicles not
required to have belts, vehicles in reverse |
Indiana |
Primary |
$25 |
All in front seat and 4-11 in rear,
except medical reason or delivery service |
Pickup trucks, buses, trucks, tractors,
RVs, SUVs registered as pickup trucks |
Iowa |
Primary |
$25 |
All |
in front seat and under 11 in rear,
except medical reason, delivery service, or bus passenger |
Emergency vehicles |
Kansas |
Secondary |
$10 |
All in front seat and 4-14 in rear, except medical reason
or newspaper/mail delivery |
Farm vehicles > 16,000 lbs, vehicles for >10 people,
trucks > 12,000 lbs, off-road vehicles |
Kentucky |
Secondary |
$25 |
All |
All except medical reason or mail delivery |
Farm vehicles > 2,000 lbs, vehicles for >10 people,
trucks > 12,000 lbs, model year < 1965 |
Louisiana |
Primary |
$25-$50 |
All in front seat and 6-12 in rear,
except medical reason or mail delivery |
Farm vehicles within 5 miles of farm,
model year < 1981, vehicles for > 10 people |
Maine |
Secondary |
$25-$50 |
All |
All except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Taxis, vehicles manufactured without belts |
Maryland |
Primary |
$25 |
Front outboard |
All except medical reason or mail
delivery |
Taxis, vanpools, hearses, farm vehicles
within 10 miles of farm, antique vehicles, emergency vehicles |
Massachusetts |
Secondary |
$25 |
All |
All except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Taxis, buses, tractors, livery vehicles, trucks > 18,000
lbs, emergency vehicles |
Michigan |
Primary |
$25 |
All in front seat and 4-15 in rear,
except medical reason or delivery service |
School buses, model year < 1965,
vehicles not required to have belts |
Minnesota |
Secondary |
$25 |
All in front seat and 4-10 in rear, except medical
reason, rural mail delivery, or when all belts used |
Farm pickup trucks; school buses; model year < 1965;
vehicles in reverse, making frequent stops, or < 25 mph |
Mississippi |
Secondary |
$25 |
All in front seat and 4-10 in rear, except medical
reason or meter reader |
Farm vehicles, ATVs, buses, trailers, vehicles for >
15 passengers, husbandry vehicles |
Missouri |
Secondary |
$10 |
All in front seat and 4-15 in rear, except medical
reason, mail delivery, or all belts used; primary law for < 16 |
Farm vehicles, vehicles for >10 people or used for
agriculture, trucks > 12,000 lbs, model year < 1968 |
Montana |
Secondary |
$20 |
All |
All except medical reason or all belts used |
Vehicles with frequent stops, special mobile equipment
vehicles |
Nebraska |
Secondary |
$25 |
All in front seat and 4-18 in rear, except medical reason
or rural mail delivery |
Farm vehicles, buses, emergency vehicles, parade
vehicles, model year < 1973 |
Nevada |
Secondary |
$25 |
All |
All except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Taxis; buses; emergency vehicles; vehicles not required
to have belts, making frequent stops, or < 15 mph |
New Hampshire |
No law for ages 18+ |
$25 |
All |
Primary law for < 18 |
Taxis, school buses, antique vehicles, parade
vehicles, model year < 1968 |
State or U.S. Territory 1 |
Type of Law 2 |
Fine 3 |
Coverage |
Seats |
Persons |
|
|
Vehicles Exempted |
New Jersey |
Primary |
$42 |
All in front seat and 8-17 in rear,
except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Vehicles manufactured before 1966,
vehicles not required to have belts |
New Mexico |
Primary |
$25 + 2 points |
All |
All except medical reason or rural
mail delivery |
Vehicles > 10,000 lbs. |
New York |
Primary |
$50 or more + 3 points |
All in front seat and < 15 in rear,
except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Taxes, non-school buses, livery
vehicles |
North Carolina |
Primary |
$25 |
All in front seat and < 15 in rear,
except medical reason or delivery service |
Commercial vehicles; farm vehicles;
emergency vehicles; vehicles for > 11 people, making frequent stops, or < 20 mph |
North Dakota |
Secondary |
$20 |
All in front seat and 7-17 in rear, except medical
reason, rural mail delivery, or all belts used |
Farm vehicles, vehicles for > 10 people, husbandry
vehicles |
Ohio |
Secondary |
$25 |
Front |
All |
except medical reason or newspaper/mail delivery |
None |
Oklahoma |
Primary |
$20 |
All in front seat and 6-12 in rear,
except medical reason or mail delivery |
RVs, trucks, tractors |
Oregon |
Primary |
$94 |
All |
All except medical reason,
newspaper/mail delivery, meter reader, or when all belts used |
Taxis, transit vehicles, trash trucks,
emergency vehicles, vehicles for > 15 passengers or not required to have belts |
Pennsylvania |
Secondary |
$10 |
All in front seat and 8-17 in rear, except medical reason
or delivery service < 15 mph |
Trucks > 7,000 lbs, model year < 1966 |
Rhode Island |
Secondary |
$75 |
All |
All except medical reason or rural mail delivery |
Vehicles not required to have belts, model year < 1966 |
South Carolina |
Secondary |
$10 |
All |
All |
except medical reason, delivery service, or all belts
used |
School, church, and daycare buses, public transit,
vehicles for > 10 passengers, parade vehicles |
South Dakota |
Secondary |
$20 |
All in front seat and < 18 in rear, except medical
reason or newspaper/mail delivery; primary law for < 18 |
Vehicles not required to have belts, model year < 1973 |
Tennessee |
Primary |
$10-$20 |
All in front seat and < 16 in rear,
except medical reason, newspaper/mail delivery, utility worker, or auto dealer/mechanic within 1 mile of dealership |
Public vehicles, vehicles > 8,500
lbs, parade vehicles, hayrides, livery vehicles, vehicles not required to have belts or < 15 mph between fields |
Texas |
Primary |
$25-$200 |
All in front seat and < 17 in rear,
except medical reason, newspaper/mail delivery, or utility worker |
Farm vehicles, vehicles for >10
people, trucks > 15,000 lbs |
Utah |
Secondary |
$15-$45 |
All |
All except if medical reason or all belts used |
Vehicles not required to have belts, model year < 1966 |
Vermont |
Secondary |
$10 |
All |
All except if medical reason, rural mail delivery, or
delivery < 15 mph |
Taxis, buses, farm tractors, emergency vehicles |
Virginia |
Secondary |
$25 |
All in front seat and < 16 in rear, except medical
reason, newspaper/rural mail delivery, meter reader, or parking enforcement |
Taxis, police vehicles, vehicles for > 10 passengers,
municipal and delivery vehicles with frequent stops |
Washington |
Primary |
$101 |
All |
All except medical reason or all
belts used |
Farm vehicles, construction vehicles,
vehicles for > 10 passengers, commercial vehicles with frequent stops |
West Virginia |
Secondary |
$25 |
All in front seat and < 17 in rear, except medical reason
or rural mail delivery |
Vehicles for > 10 passengers |
Wisconsin |
Secondary |
$10 |
All in front seat and 4-15 in rear, except medical
reason, newspaper/rural mail delivery, or land surveyor |
Taxis, farm trucks, emergency vehicles, vehicles with
frequent stops or not required to have belts |
Wyoming |
Secondary |
$10-$25 |
All |
All except medical reason, mail delivery, or all belts
used |
Buses, emergency vehicles |
American Samoa |
Primary |
$25 |
All |
Ages 4+ |
None |
Guam |
Primary |
$50 |
Front |
All |
None |
N. Mariana Islands |
Primary |
$25 |
All |
Ages 5+ |
Vehicles carrying large industrial |
construction equipment |
Puerto Rico |
Primary |
$50 |
All |
All |
None |
|
1 Laws as of October 2005. Most jurisdictions also have laws requiring that certain children
be in child safety seats or booster seats. We do not present these laws here. Safety belt laws are more complex than can be conveyed in this Table, and so the reader
should consult each State or Territory’s law for its exact coverage and penalties. Motorists in jurisdictions with primary belt enforcement laws can be stopped and
ticketed simply for not using a safety belt. |
2 Under a secondary law, motorists can only be ticketed for belt nonuse if they have been
stopped for another infraction, such as an expired license tag. |
3 The fines presented here are the fines on the ticket. can only be ticketed for belt nonuse
if they have been stopped for another infraction, such as an expired license tag. They do not include court costs and surcharges. |
This public information was provided by NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
New Data Show Rising Safety Belt Use Rates in Most States
More Americans than ever are wearing their safety belts with usage rates climbing in 34 states this year, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman
Y. Mineta. In 2005, safety belt use ranged from 60.8 percent in Mississippi to 95.3 percent in Hawaii. Others breaking the 90 percent belt use barrier
included Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, Michigan, California, Puerto Rico and Maryland. Mississippi registered the lowest safety belt use in the
nation followed by Massachusetts, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Dakota and Kansas. New Hampshire and Wyoming were the only states not to report statistically reliable estimates
of belt use rate for 2005. "Safety belts are useless unless people make the effort to wear them", Mineta said. "It's good to see more people taking
their safety seriously, but we'll save the celebration for the day when everyone buckles up," he added. Earlier this year, Secretary Mineta announced
that the nationwide survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed belt use rates have hit the milestone of 82 percent -- the highest
level in the nation’s history. Secretary Mineta also announced earlier that fatalities had hit a historic low: 1.46 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
At a rate of 82 percent, NHTSA estimates that safety belts are preventing 15,700 fatalities, 350,000 serious injuries, and $67 billion in economic costs
associated with traffic injuries and deaths every year. In addition to the life-saving benefits of increased belt use, Congress created additional
incentives for states. Under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) enacted Aug. 10, an added $498 million will be available to states over the next four years. States must either
adopt a primary law or achieve 85 percent belt use for two years in order to be eligible for the grants. The state-by-state statistics were derived
from data collected by the states’ own surveys, conducted in accord with criteria established by NHTSA. Click
here to view state-by-state safety belt use rate
data on the Internet |
