Seat Belts
Save Lives
Buckle
Up
New Jersey's primary seatbelt law now authorizes police officers to stop and issue a motor vehicle summons to drivers and front seat passengers solely for not wearing their seatbelts!
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Why have a primary seat belt law: • Studies show seat belts do save lives • More than 2,000 unbuckled drivers and front seat passengers died on New Jersey’s roadways in the past 10 years. • New Jersey’s seat belt use rate is below the national average. The new primary seat belt law: • Does not increase the existing fine for • Does not add points to a driver’s motor vehicle record. • Does not create a new surcharge or additional payment fees. The new primary seat belt law: • Applies to all passenger vehicles that are required to be equipped with seat belts. • Applies to drivers and front seat passengers. • Continues the existing requirement that the driver is responsible for seat belt use New Jersey’s child passenger law: The new law which took effect in December 2001, requires the following: • Children under 8 years old and weighing less than 80 pounds must be secured in the back seat of a motor vehicle in an approved booster seat using the lap and shoulder belt. • If there is no back seat (such as a pick up truck), the child must be secured in the front seat in the same manner as the back, with the seat pushed back as far as possible. • Children over 8 years of age and weighing more than 80 pounds are required to wear a seatbelt anywhere in a motor vehicle. • Children under 12 should ride in the back seat of a motor vehicle whenever possible |
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