Seat belt laws in the United States

Seat belt laws in the United States refer to whether those driving and riding in vehicles must wear a seat belt, which is a belt or strap designed to prevent injury if a vehicle becomes involved in a crash. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wearing a seat belt reduces crash-related fatalities by 45 percent and serious injuries by 50 percent. In the United States, states and territories pass their own seat belt laws, which may be either primary or secondary. In states with primary seat belt enforcement, police officers may pull over an automobile simply because the driver or a passenger is not wearing a seat belt. With secondary seat belt enforcement, police officers must have another reason to pull over a vehicle before they can cite anyone in the car for not wearing a seat belt.

Seat belt laws within states vary widely. For example, New York has primary seat belt enforcement requiring individuals of all ages in a vehicle to wear a seat belt but only those under the age of fifteen in the backseat must wear one. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, has secondary seat belt enforcement requiring drivers and those in the passenger seat to wear a seat belt if they are eighteen years or older. Those under eighteen must weat a seat belt regardless of where they are sitting in a vehicle.

Background

While states determine seat belt laws, the first law in 1968 was federal. It required all vehicles except buses to be fitted with seat belts in all sitting positions. The law was later modified to require three-point seat belts, which have a continuous belt with one section running diagonally across the body while another crosses the lap.

Requiring individuals in vehicles to wear seat belts has generated controversy since these laws were first proposed, with those against the laws claiming that seat belts unfairly restricted their freedom. In 1973, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required all new cars to include a seat best interlock mechanism that prevented a vehicle from starting if the driver was not wearing a seat belt. However, NHTSA nixed the requirement a year later after public outcries. In 1977, NHTSA initiated a new rule requiring automobile manufacturers to install some type of passive restraint that would protect those inside a car if the car hit a wall while traveling at 35 miles per hour (MPR). Airbags were cost-prohibitive at the time, so automakers installed safety belts running along a track that automatically fastened when the driver and front-seat passenger closed a car’s doors.

Consumers worried that the automatc seat belts might trap them in a burning or sinking car. To alleviate their fears, automakers added a release hatch, which drivers could use to disable the belts should they need to escape from the car. However, automatic seat belts were dangerous for a different reason. While the cross-strap automatically moved into position, drivers still had to buckle the lap belt. The shoulder strap gave drivers and passengers a false sense of security, and many did not bother using the lap belt. A 1987 study conducted by the University of North Carolina concluded that only about 29 percent of drivers and passengers used the lap belt. Misuse of automatic belts was responsible for many deaths, yet the seat belts were installed in cars into the 1990s.

During his presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan promised automakers deregulation. When Reagan became president in 1981, he quickly rescinded the rule requiring automakers to install passive restraints in cars. Insurance companies were outraged, however, and sued. Their case eventually wound up with the US Supreme Court, which voted unanimously in favor of NHTSA’s rule requiring passive restraints. At the time, Elizabeth Dole was Reagan’s secretary of transportation and in 1985 found a way to circumvent the Supreme Court’s decision. She required automobile makers to install driver’s side airbags in new cars, a costly undertaking, unless two-thirds of the states passed seat belt laws by 1989. Automakers were initially pleased with her ruling—cars already had seat belts, so they needed only to persuade states to require their use. New York became the first state to pass mandatory seat belt laws, and New Jersey soon followed. However, the seat belt laws that most states passed did not meet Dole’s specifications. For example, Dole required primary enforcement and some states passed laws with only secondary enforcement. Other states passed seat belt laws with low fines for violations. Automobile manufacturers were forced to install airbags in cars.

Overview

It has been proven that seat belts save lives. When used correctly, seat belts spread crash forces across the stronger parts of the body, such as the shoulder, the rib cage, and the pelvis. They also prevent drivers and front-seat passengers from being ejected from a vehicle. According to World Population Review, wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of a fatal injury by 60 percent for those driving or riding in an SUV, a pickup truck, or a van and by 45 percent for those driving or riding in a car. About half of those killed in motor vehicle crashes were not buckled up.

Because seat belts are so effective in preventing death and injuries, in 2021 forty-nine of the fifty US states and the District of Columbia had seat belt laws. (New Hampshire was the exception.) Thirty-four of these states had primary enforcement, meaning that drivers can be pulled over if they or their passengers are not wearing a seat belt. Fifteen states have secondary enforcements, meaning that drivers must be pulled over for another reason, such as speeding, to be cited for not wearing a seat belt. In most states, failure to wear a seat belt was a misdemeanor. Children are covered by a separate set of laws.

Bibliography

Bump, Philip. “Why the battle over American freedom was centered on seat belt laws.” Washington Post, 16 Sept, 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/09/16/when-battle-over-american-freedom-was-centered-seat-belt-laws/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

Park, William. “Why People Object to Laws That Save Lives.” BBC, 2 Sept. 2020, www.bbc.com/future/article/20200902-why-people-object-to-laws-that-save-lives. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

Roos, David. “When Americans Resisted Seat Belts.” History, 31 August 2020, www.history.com/news/seat-belt-laws-resistance. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

“Seat Belts. NHTSA, www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

Taddeo, Sarah. “Buckle up: New York to mandate safety belt use in rear seats Sunday.” Democrat & Chronicle, 30 Oct. 2020, www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/10/30/new-york-mandate-safety-belt-use-rear-seats-nov-1/6084347002/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

“Seat Belts: Get the Facts.” CDC, www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/seatbelts/facts.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

“Seat Belt Laws by State 2021.” World Population Review, worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/seat-belt-laws-by-state. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

Wolinsky, Leo C. “Big Lobbies Clash in Fight on Seat Belts: Hearings Open Today as California Joins Auto Safety Debate.” Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 1985, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-19-mn-546-story.html. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.