DRIVERS need to be aware of a major new seat belt law change coming into effect soon – which could cost you $25 even if you’re not driving.
From next month, adults in the backseat need to buckle up – or risk being slapped with a hefty fine.
GettyCar safety concept; Close up of hand woman pulling seat belt in her car.[/caption]The rule applies to everyone 18 and older – but there is a special clause for children.
The law will be enforced statewide across Virginia from July 1 – so drivers and passengers need to get used to this habit in the next two weeks.
It comes after a campaign from a heartbroken mom who lost her son in a tragic backseat crash.
Chris King, who had just graduated from high school, died in a crash in Williamsburg, Virginia, roughly 50 miles from Richmond, in the summer of 2020.
“The one time he didn’t buckle up that took his life,” his mom, Christy King, told NBC local affiliate WWBT.
She has now partnered with the Virginia DMV and law enforcement for the “Click it or Ticket” campaign.
King said: “The driver, he was clocked at about 80 miles per hour before he ran it off the road and hit the ditch, and my son was thrown from the car to his death.”
Chris wasn’t wearing a seat belt in the backseat at the time of the fatal accident.
Christy King worked with state Representative Karen Keys-Gamarra to get House Bill 2475 passed.
The legislation is now known as the Christopher King Backseat Law.
It updates an existing Virginia code to require seat belt use by passengers in the backseat who are 18 and older.
Previously, adults in the backseat weren’t required by law to buckle up.
With the new legislation, anyone caught riding without their seat belt buckled will be hit with a $25 civil fine.
And the fine for adults rises to $50 if a minor is found unrestrained.
The law does not allow police to pull someone over just for a seat belt violation.
However, officers can still issue tickets during other traffic stops.
The fine will be paid into the state treasury and credited to the Literary Fund, which provides loans and grants for schools in Virginia.
What does federal law say about seat belts?
Federal law requires all vehicles to be equipped with seat belts, but it’s up to each state to decide who must wear them and where.
All 50 states, except New Hampshire, have seat belt laws for adults in the front seat.
New York became the first state to require vehicle occupants to wear seat belts as of December 1, 1984.
When it comes to backseat passengers, laws vary.
In some states, all passengers must buckle up, no matter their age or seat.
In 15 of the 50 states, non-use of seat belts is considered a secondary offense.
Other states, like Virginia, only began enforcing seat belt use for front-seat riders or minors in 2025.
While federal safety rules make sure belts are in the car, it’s state laws that determine if drivers and passengers have to wear them.
Some exceptions to the seat belt law remain, including mail carriers, newspaper delivery drivers, and waste collection crews.
The law change comes just in time for Memorial Day travel, said Morgan Dean, a spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
“Drivers can’t control what’s going to happen on the roadways, but we can control what’s going to happen in our cars,” Dean said.
Wearing a seat belt can cut the risk of death in a crash by 45 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A Virginia crash report found half the people killed in wrecks last year weren’t wearing seat belts.
In 2017 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives, though they could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been worn.
GettySeat belts which aren’t worn will result in a fine[/caption] Read More Details
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