Seat belt laws in the United States

Seat belt laws for front seat passengers in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the 5 inhabited U.S. territories.
  No enforcement for adults (primary enforcement for minors)
  Secondary enforcement
  Secondary enforcement; primary under certain ages
  Primary enforcement

Most seat belt laws in the United States are left to state law. However, the recommended age for a child to sit in the front passenger seat is 13. The first seat belt law was a federal law, Title 49 of the United States Code, Chapter 301, Motor Safety Standard, which took effect on January 1, 1968, that required all vehicles (except buses) to be fitted with seat belts in all designated seating positions.[1] This law has since been modified to require three-point seat belts in outboard-seating positions, and finally three-point seat belts in all seating positions.[1] Seat belt use was voluntary until New York became the first state to require vehicle occupants to wear seat belts, as of December 1, 1984. New Hampshire is the only state with no law requiring adults to wear seat belts in a vehicle.[2]

  1. ^ a b US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (January 1, 1968). "Title 49 of the United States Code, Chapter 301, Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 - Occupant Crash Protection Passenger Cars". Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference “ghsa_July2019” was invoked but never defined (see the help page).