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Table 2-3. Key Provisions of Safety Belt Use Laws: 2000

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State Effective1 Enforcement2 Fine Seats Vehicles exempted3
Alabama 7/18/92 Primary $25 Front Designed for more than 10 passengers
Alaska 9/12/90 Secondary $15 All School bus
Arizona 1/1/91 Secondary $10 Front Designed for more than 10 passengers; model year before 1972
Arkansas 7/15/91 Secondary $254 Front School bus, church bus, public bus
California 1/1/86 Primary $205 All None
Colorado 7/1/87 Secondary $15 Front Passenger bus, school bus
Connecticut 1/1/86 Primary $15 Front Truck or bus over 15,000 lbs.
Delaware 1/1/92 Secondary $20 Front None
District of Columbia 12/12/85 Primary $506 All Seating more than 8 people
Florida 7/1/86 Secondary $30 Front School bus, public bus, truck over 5,000 lbs.
Georgia 9/1/88 Primary $15 Front Designed for more than 10 passengers, pickup
Hawaii 2/16/85 Primary $45 Front Bus or school bus over 10,000 lbs.
Idaho 7/1/86 Secondary $5 Front Over 8,000 lbs.
Illinois 7/1/85 Secondary $25 Front None
Indiana 7/1/87 Primary $25 Front Truck, tractor, RV
Iowa 7/1/86 Primary $10 Front None
Kansas 7/1/86 Secondary $10 Front Designed for more than 10 people, truck over 12,000 lbs.
Kentucky 7/13/94 Secondary $25 All Designed for more than 10 people
Louisiana 7/1/86 Primary $257 Front Manufactured before 1/1/81
Maine 12/27/95 Secondary $50 All None
Maryland 7/1/86 Primary $25 Front Historic vehicle
Massachusetts 2/1/94 Secondary $25 All Truck over 18,000 lbs., bus, taxi
Michigan 7/1/85 Primary $25 Front Bus
Minnesota 8/1/86 Secondary $25 Front Farm pickup truck
Mississippi 3/20/90 Secondary $25 Front Farm vehicle, bus
Missouri 9/28/85 Secondary $10 Front Designed for more than 10 people, truck over 12,000 lbs.
Montana 10/1/87 Secondary $20 All None
Nebraska 1/1/93 Secondary $25 Front Manufactured before 1973
Nevada 7/1/87 Secondary $25 All Taxi, bus, school bus
New Hampshire None NA NA NA NA
New Jersey 3/1/85 Secondary $20 Front None
New Mexico 1/1/86 Primary $25 Front Vehicle over 10,000 lbs.
New York 12/1/84 Primary $50 Front Bus, school bus, taxi
North Carolina 10/1/85 Primary $25 Front Designed for more than 10 people
North Dakota 7/14/94 Secondary $20 Front Designed for more than 10 people
Ohio 5/6/86 Secondary $25 Front None
Oklahoma 2/1/87 Primary $20 Front Farm vehicle, truck, truck tractor, RV
Oregon 12/7/90 Primary $75 All None
Pennsylvania 11/23/87 Secondary $10 Front Truck over 7,000 lbs.
Rhode Island 6/18/91 Secondary $50 All None
South Carolina 7/1/89 Secondary $10 All School bus, public bus
South Dakota 1/1/95 Secondary $20 Front Bus, school bus
Tennessee 4/21/86 Secondary $50 Front Vehicle over 8,500 lbs.
Texas 9/1/85 Primary $50 Front Designed for more than 10 people, truck over 15,000 lbs.
Utah 4/28/86 Secondary $45 Front Vehicle over 10,000 lbs., school/public bus, taxi
Vermont 1/1/94 Secondary $10 All Bus, taxi
Virginia 1/1/88 Secondary $25 Front Designed for more than 10 people, taxi
Washington 6/11/86 Secondary $35 All Designed for more than 10 people
West Virginia 9/1/93 Secondary $25 Front Designed for more than 10 people
Wisconsin 12/1/87 Secondary $10 All Taxi, farm truck
Wyoming 6/8/89 Secondary $25 Front Designed for more than 10 people, bus

1 Effective date of first belt law in the state; 2 Primary enforcement enables police officers to stop vehicles and write citations whenever they observe a violation of the seat belt law. Secondary enforcement allows police officers to write a citation for seat belt infractions only after stopping a vehicle for some other traffic infraction; 3 Most states exempt vehicles not manufactured with seat belts; 4 Plus 3 points on license; 5 Fine for first offense; 6 Plus 2 points on license; 7 Penalty could include 30 days in jail.

KEY: NA = not applicable; RV = recreational vehicle.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 2000, Washington, DC: 2001, available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSFAnn/TSF2000.pdf as of Jan. 4, 2002.
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