The Seat Belt Laws
There are different types of seat belt laws passed within various states. Depending upon the state, you can be cited for violation of the law with or without other traffic violations.
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Federal Seat Belt Laws
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There currently is no federal seat belt law in place. Instead, the federal government gives this power to the states with a series of grants offered through the U.S. Department of Transportation.
States
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Almost all of the 50 states have seat belt laws with the exception of New Hampshire. All states have child restraint laws, which require children who are under the age of 3 to 4 years old to be in a booster seat.
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Primary Laws
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Primary laws are when the police can stop someone for not wearing his seat belt and ticket his for that offense. Currently, 30 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands currently use this type of seat belt law enforcement.
Secondary Law
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Secondary laws are when the police must have reason to stop someone other than not wearing her seat belt. Once stopped and determined that she is not wearing her seat belt, the police can cite her for this. Several states that currently enforce such laws include Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts and Vermont.
Fines
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The fines for not wearing seat belts can vary from state to state. In general, fines can range from $10.00 in states such as Missouri to $200.00 in states such as Texas.
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