Seat Belt Restrictions

All vehicle passengers, even those in the back seat, would have to buckle up in North Carolina under legislation that the House approved on Thursday. The bill (SB 774) mandates seatbelt use for all riders in a passenger vehicle, but House members reduced the fine for violating the measure from $75 to $10 during final debate before sending it back to the Senate for concurrence. The legislation would alter current law, which says only those in the front seat – as well as children under 16 in the back – are required to wear seat belts. The bill would also bring North Carolina into accordance with federal law by requiring truck and bus drivers to buckle up. However, legislators made the seat belt measure a secondary violation, meaning law enforcement cannot stop a vehicle solely for a seat belt infraction.