Seat belt legislation requires the fitting of seat belts to motor vehicles and the wearing of seat belts by motor vehicle occupants to be mandatory. Laws requiring the fitting of seat belts to cars have in some cases been followed by laws mandating their use, with the effect that thousands of deaths on the road have been prevented. Different laws apply in different countries to the wearing of seat belts.
National comparisons
Australia In Australia, after the introduction of mandatory front outboard mounting points in 1964, the use of seat belts by all vehicle passengers was made compulsory in the states of Victoria and South Australia in 1970 and 1971, respectively. By 1973, the use of fitted seat belts by vehicle occupants was made compulsory for the rest of Australia and some other countries during the 1970s and 1980s. The subsequent dramatic decline in road deaths is generally because of seat belt laws and subsequent road safety campaigns.2005 Regulatory Impact Statement - Seat belt legislation amendments Seat belts are not required for bus occupants unless fitted, reversing drivers, and those driving some slow-moving vehicles. The laws for these differ depending on the state or territory with jurisdiction.
Canada
All provinces in Canada have primary enforcement seat belt laws. In 1976, Ontario was the first province to pass a law which required vehicle occupants to wear seat belts.
Switzerland
In 1976, the Swiss government required seat belts to be worn in the front seats of vehicles. The measure was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1977. On 30 November 1980, the issue of compulsory seat belt use in the front seats was put to a referendum. The law was accepted with 52 % of the people who voted. In 1994, seat belts became compulsory in the rear seats of vehicles, this time without significant resistance.
United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, seat belts must be worn at all times, by all passengers, if they are fitted to a vehicle unless reversing. Passengers may be exempt from wearing a seat belt for various exceptions, such as medical reasons. Since September 18, 2006, children travelling in the UK must also use an appropriate child seat in addition to the standard seat belt, unless they are 12 years old or have reached at least in height, whichever is first.
In the UK, a requirement for anchorage points was introduced in 1965, followed by the requirement in 1968 to fit three-point belts in the front outboard positions on all new cars and all existing cars back to 1965. Successive UK governments proposed, but failed to deliver, seat belt legislation throughout the 1970s. Front seat belts were compulsory equipment on all new cars registered in the UK from 1968, although it did not become compulsory for them to be worn until 1983. Rear seat belts were compulsory equipment from 1986 and it became compulsory for them to be worn in 1991. However, it has never been a legal requirement for cars registered before those dates to be fitted with seat belts. In one such attempt in 1979 similar claims for potential lives and injuries saved were advanced. William Rodgers, then Secretary of State for Transport in the Callaghan Labour Government (1976–1979), stated: "On the best available evidence of accidents in this country – evidence which has not been seriously contested – compulsion could save up to 1000 lives and 10,000 injuries a year."
United States
In the United States, seat belt legislation varies by state. The state of Wisconsin introduced legislation in 1961 requiring seat belts to be fitted to the front outboard seat positions of cars. Seat belts have been mandatory equipment since the 1968 model year per Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.
New York State passed the first law in the US mandating the use of seat belts in 1984 under the leadership of John D. States, an orthopedic surgeon who dedicated his career to improving automotive safety.Click it or ticket Depending on which state a driver is in, not wearing a seat belt in the front seat is either a primary offense or a secondary offense, with the exception of New Hampshire, which does not have a law requiring people over age 18 to wear a seat belt. In the front seat, the driver and each passenger must wear a seat belt, one person per belt. In some states, such as New Hampshire, Michigan, Arkansas, and Missouri, belts in the rear seats are not mandatory for people over the age of 16.
A primary offense means that a police officer can pull a driver over for the seat belt law violation alone, and secondary offense indicates that one can be punished for a seat belt law violation only if they are already pulled over for another reason. By January 2007 25 states and the District of Columbia had primary seat belt laws, 24 had secondary seat belt laws, and New Hampshire had no laws. Some states determine whether to enforce failure to wear a seat belt as a primary or secondary offense depending on whether the unrestrained person is in the front or back of the car. Kansas, Maryland, and New Jersey enforce failure to wear a seat belt as a driver or front-seat passenger as a primary offense and failure to wear a seat belt as a rear seat passenger as a secondary offense. In 2009, Public Health Law Research published several evidence briefs summarizing the research assessing the effect of a specific law or policy on public health. One stated, "Safety belt laws work, but there is strong evidence to support that primary enforcement safety belt laws are more effective than secondary enforcement laws in increasing seat belt use and reducing crash injuries."
Another found that "there is strong evidence that enhanced seat belt enforcement interventions can substantially increase seat belt use and its associated benefits."
European Union In the European Union, seat belts were only mandatory in vehicles under 3.5 tonnes until a 2003 directive made them mandatory in all vehicles in 2006. The directive also clarifies that seat belts are to be used for children and makes it mandatory to deactivate airbags for the use of rear-facing child restraints. Some exemptions exist for five members states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden, and Spain.
Developing countries
In many developing countries, pedestrians, cyclists, rickshaw operators and moped users represent the majority of road users.
In India, all cars manufactured after March 25, 1994, are equipped with front seat belts. The rule was extended for rear seats in 2002. The usage of seat belts is to be implemented by the respective states, with most states making seat belt usage for front seat passengers mandatory in 2002. Older vehicles that did not originally have seat belts were exempted. However, enforcement is weak in most parts of the country.
In Indonesia, belts are mandatory only for front seats. Many low-entry car models are not equipped with rear seat belts.
In Malaysia, the first stage of safety belt laws was implemented in 1979. This was expanded in January 2009 to include rear passengers. Passenger vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1995, and those weighing more than 3.5 tons are exempted from this rule. The third and fourth stages, which will deal with baby and child seats and the number of passengers in a vehicle, have not taken effect.
In the Philippines, a seat belt law, Republic Act No. 8750, was approved on August 5, 1999. The law took effect in 2000 and requires all public and private vehicles, except motorcycles and tricycles, to have their front seats equipped with seat belts. Front seats as defined by the law includes the first row of seats behind the driver for public utility buses. Those below the age of six are prohibited to occupy the front seats of motor vehicles even if wearing a seat belt. Jeepneys are only required to have lap belts for the front seat passengers and the driver.
Overview of seat belt legislation by country The table below gives an overview of when seat belt legislation was first introduced in different countries. It includes both regional and national legislation.
CountryCompulsory wearingCompulsory fittingSourceCarsBus passengersCarsBuses TrucksDriverFront passengersRear passengers1994 19941994 (First row only, all in school buses) National Law Nº26,687 - Article 30 A, Article 40 K and Article 551970 (Victoria), 1971 (SA, NSW), 1972 (national), 1986 (child restraints) 1969, 1970 (back seat, Victoria) 1971 (back seat)1983 (≤3.5 tonnes) 1993199320141993 (Front Seat) 2004 (Rear Seats)1976 (Ontario, then Quebec) 1966 (outside cities)1990 (all)1976199020041968 http://aplikace.mvcr.cz/archiv2008/sbirka/1966/sb35-66.pdf1993/1991Council Directive 91/671/EEC of 16 December 1991 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to compulsory use of safety belts in vehicles of less than 3,5 tonnes20062003 1997Commission Directive 96/36/EC of 17 June 1996 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 77/541/EEC relating to safety belts and restraint systems of motor vehicles1975, 1982 fines given1975 over 15 years old passenger, 1982 all and fines given1987, 1994 taxi passengers20061971 (front seat) 1981 (back seat)1973 (outside cities), 1975 (cities at night), 1979 (all)199020031967, 1978 (back seat)20031976198419991970, 1979 (back seat)1999Angurtpflicht1976 1993 198319831996 (private cars) 2001 (taxis)2004 (minibuses, where available); 2026 (buses, where available; suspended)1996 (back seat)2004 (minibuses); July 2018 (buses)19992019 2024† 1994 (front seats), 2002 (rear seats) 1979 1992 1971 (front seats), 1992 (rear seats) 197319902006‡1967 (front seats); 1983 (back seats)2006מעריב, 14 מרץ 1984 — חגורות הוחק19891990 (where available)2006‡1988 (new vehicles); 1989 (all*, front seats); 1990 (new vehicles, back seats); 2000 (all*, back seats)20061971† (1985)1971 (no fines), 1985 (fines on freeway), 1993 (all) 200820081969 2017201720172016 (motorway buses enforced) 19761992 1975 (front) 1990 (rear)19721972 (15 years and over), 1979 (8 years and over)By 1989 1972 (vehicles registered after 1965), 1975 (after 1955) 2000 (those below 6 years prohibited to occupy front seats) 2000 (first row beside the driver's seat only)20001993 2010"Кодекс Российской Федерации об административных правонарушениях" от 30.12.2001 N 195-ФЗПостановление Правительства РФ от 23.10.1993 N 1090 (ред. от 24.10.2022) "О Правилах дорожного движения" (вместе с "Основными положениями по допуску транспортных средств к эксплуатации и обязанности должностных лиц по обеспечению безопасности...ПДД РФ, ОСНОВНЫЕ ПОЛОЖЕНИЯ1973197319932008 (small buses)1973 197519751992 20112011 197519861999 1970 2004 (except for city buses) 19811994 1971199819962009 198319912006 1967 (front) 1987 (rear) 2001 (except buses designed for urban use with standing passengers) http://www.rospa.com/about/history/seatbelt-history.aspx RoSPA1984 (New York; seat belt use law is jurisdiction of individual states) Wisconsin, 1961. Federally, front lap 1965 model year; front shoulder & rear lap 1968; 3-point front 1974 1993 (Introduced by section 130 (1) of Vehicle and Transport Management Act, 1993)
* - actually only vehicles registered after 15 June 1976; in previous registered vehicles fitting is optional † - required by the law, but no penalty for violation at the time ‡ - required by the law, but low enforcement
Effects
Studies by road safety authorities conclude that seat belt legislation has reduced the number of casualties in road accidents.
Experiments using both crash test dummies and human cadavers also indicated that wearing seat belts should lead to reduced risk of death and injury in car crashes.