New York State Lawmakers Pass New Seat Belt Law

A new seat belt law will take effect on Nov. 1. Make sure you are aware of the specifics of this new legislation before it becomes the law.

New York was the first state to implement a seatbelt law back in 1984. Until that time, children were not required to ride in car seats, and adults were not required to wear seatbelts.

Our current seatbelt law requires passengers 16 and over to wear a seatbelt, only while riding in the front passenger seat.

Many surrounding states have had stricter seatbelt laws for decades now, and on Tuesday Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a similar bill. The bill requires that all passengers, regardless of age, wear a seatbelt. The new law includes passengers who are riding in rear seats.

Safety experts say that the legislation would prevent more than 2/3 of the accident-related deaths and injuries caused by not wearing a seatbelt in the backseat.

Governor Cuomo said, “It was under my father‘s leadership that New York became the first state in the country to pass a seatbelt law, and the nation followed his lead. Now we are building upon this legacy and helping to create a safer and stronger Empire State for all.”

Seat Belt laws remind me of the laws recently passed requiring citizens to wear face coverings.

Wearing a seatbelt is basically for one’s own protection. I’ve heard many people say that seat belts are uncomfortable and they don’t want to wear them, but the law requires it.

The same goes for face coverings, they are uncomfortable but the law requires that we wear them. Just like we can’t just ignore the law regarding seat belts, we should never disregard the law for face coverings. It’s just part of our “new normal.”

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