seat belt use
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Committee on Committee on Transportation |
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Committee on Retirement and Government Operations |
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Caucus and COW |
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As Passed the House |
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House Bill 2509 amends the current vehicle restraint (seat belt) law to provide that the operator of a motor vehicle designed for ten or fewer passengers shall require each passenger under the age of sixteen in the motor vehicle wear a seat belt. HB 2509 also makes seat belt violations a primary offense meaning it will allow a law enforcement officer to stop and issue a citation to a person who is violating seat belt laws regardless of whether another violation of a motor vehicle law has occurred and increases the maximum civil penalty from $10 to $25 for each violation.
In 1984, New York enacted the nation’s first law requiring motorists to use seat belts. Within two years, 22 jurisdictions had such laws. Currently, forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have mandatory seat belt laws. New Hampshire is the only state without a mandatory seat belt law. Seat belt laws are primary in 17 states, with the rest of the states only covering front seat passengers.
According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), Arizona’s seat belt usage has increased from 61.5% in 1998 to 75.1% in 2000. States that have primary enforcement laws have an average seat belt use rate of 78%, compared with the national average of 69%.