Safety belt use laws

November 2008

Overview | Child restraint laws | Children not covered by safety belt or child restraint laws

State	Initial effective date	Standard enforcement?	Who is covered? In what seats?	Maximum fine 1st offense	Can nonuse decrease monetary awards for injuries in lawsuits?
Alabama	07/18/91	yes; effective 12/09/99	15+ years in front seat	$25	no
Alaska	09/12/90	yes; effective 05/01/06	16+ years in all seats	$15	yes
Arizona	01/01/91	no	5+ years in front seat; 5 through 15 in all seats	$10	yes
Arkansas	07/15/91	no	15+ years in front seat	$25¹	no
California	01/01/86	yes; effective 01/01/93	16+ years in all seats	$20	yes
Colorado	07/01/87	no	16+ years in front seat	$15	yes
Connecticut	01/01/86	yes	7+ years in front seat	$15	no
Delaware	01/01/92	yes; effective 06/30/03	16+ years in all seats	$25	no
District of Columbia	12/12/85	yes; effective 10/01/97	16+ years in all seats	$50²	no
Florida	07/01/86	no (yes for children <18; effective 07/01/05)	6+ years in front seat; 6 through 17 years in all seats	$30	yes
Georgia	09/01/88	yes; effective 07/01/96	6 through 17 years in all seats; 18+ years in front seat	$15³	no
Hawaii	12/16/85	yes	8 through 17 years in all seats; 18+ years in front seat	$45	no
Idaho	07/01/86	no	7+ years in all seats	$10	no
Illinois	01/01/88	yes; effective 07/03/03	16+ in front seat; 18 and younger in all seats if driver is younger than 18 years	$25	no
Indiana	07/01/87	yes; effective 07/01/98	16+ years in all seats	$25	no
Iowa	07/01/86	yes	11+ years in front seat	$25	yes
Kansas	07/01/86	no (yes for children <18; effective 07/01/07)	14 through 17 in all seats; 18+ in front seat	$30	no
Kentucky	07/15/94	yes; effective 07/20/06	6 and younger and more than 50 inches in all seats; 7+ in all seats	$25	no
Louisiana	07/01/86	yes; effective 09/01/95	13+ years in front seat	$25	no
Maine	12/26/95	yes; effective 09/20/07 (warning only until 04/01/08)	18+ years in all seats	$50	no
Maryland	07/01/86	yes; effective 10/01/97	16+ years in front seat	$25	no
Massachusetts	02/01/94	no	13+ years in all seats	$25⁴	no
Michigan	07/01/85	yes; effective 04/01/00	16+ years in front seat	$25	yes
Minnesota	08/01/86	no	all in front seat; 3 through 10 years in all seats	$25	no
Mississippi	07/01/94	yes; effective 05/27/06	7+ years in front seat	$25	no
Missouri	09/28/85	no (yes for children <16)	16+ years in front seat	$10	yes
Montana	10/01/87	no	6+ years in all seats	$20	no
Nebraska	01/01/93	no	18+ years in front seat	$25	yes
Nevada	07/01/87	no	6+ years in all seats	$25	no
New Hampshire	n/a	no law	no law	no law	no
New Jersey	03/01/85	yes; effective 05/01/00	7 years and younger and more than 80 pounds; 8 through 17 in all seats; 18+ in front seat	$20	yes
New Mexico	01/01/86	yes	18+ years in all seats	$25²	no
New York	12/01/84	yes	16+ years in front seat	$50⁵	yes
North Carolina	10/01/85	yes (secondary for rear seat occupants)	16+ years in all seats	$25	no
North Dakota	07/14/94	no	18+ years in front seat	$20	yes
Ohio	05/06/86	no	4 through 14 in all seats; 15+ years in front seat	$30 driver/$20 passenger	yes
Oklahoma	02/01/87	yes; effective 11/01/97	13+ years in front seat	$20	no
Oregon	12/07/90	yes	16+ years in all seats	$90	yes
Pennsylvania	11/23/87	no	8 through 17 years in all seats; 18+ years in front seat	$10	no
Rhode Island	06/18/91	no (yes for children <18)	18+ years in all seats	$75	no
South Carolina	07/01/89	yes; 12/09/05⁶	6+ years in front seat; 6+ years in rear seat with shoulder belt	$25	no
South Dakota	01/01/95	no	18+ years in front seat	$20	no
Tennessee	04/21/86	yes; 07/01/04	16+ years in front seat	$50⁷	no
Texas	09/01/85	yes	4 and younger and 36 in or more; 5 through 16 years in all seats; 17+ years in front seat	$200	no
Utah	04/28/86	no (yes for children <19 years)	16+ years in all seats	$45	no
Vermont	01/01/94	no	16+ years in all seats	$25	no
Virginia	01/01/88	no	16+ years in front seat	$25	no
Washington	06/11/86	yes; 07/01/02	16+ years in all seats	$124	no
West Virginia	09/01/93	no	8+ years in front seat; 8 through 17 years in all seats	$25	yes
Wisconsin	12/01/87	no	8+ years in all seats	$10	yes
Wyoming	06/08/89	no	9+ years in all seats	$25⁸driver/$10 passenger	no

¹Arkansas rewards belt use by reducing the fine for the primary violation by $10.

²This state assesses points for violations.

³In Georgia, the maximum fine is $25 if the child is 6-18 years.

⁴Drivers in Massachusetts may be fined $25 for violating the belt law themselves and $25 for each unrestrained passenger 12-16 years.

⁵New York only assesses points when the violation involves a child under 16.

⁶Police are prohibited in South Carolina from enforcing safety belt laws at checkpoints designed for that purpose. However, safety belt violations may be issued at license and registration checkpoints to drivers cited for other offenses.

⁷Drivers 18 and older in Tennessee who choose not to contest the citation pay a $10 fine by mail; $20 for drivers who are 16 and 17 years old.

⁸Wyoming rewards belt use by reducing the fine for the primary violation by $10.