New York’s new rear seat belt law went into effect on November 1, requiring all passengers to wear a seat belt in the back seat of a motor vehicle, including passengers of ride-sharing services. Until now, passengers over age 16 were not required to wear seat belts in the rear seat in New York. The new law will save lives and prevent injuries across state roadways as unbelted rear passengers account for eight injuries per day across New York State.
The state pioneered auto safety in 1985 as the first state with a law that required passengers to wear seat belts in the front seats of passenger cars. But New York has lagged requiring the use of seat belts in rear seats, with 289 unbuckled rear-seat passengers killed and 25,596 injured from 2010 to 2019.
According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), teens and young adults 16 to 24 are least likely to buckle up and are most likely to die than any other age group in New York. Seat belt use unequivocally reduces the risk of injury and death for all vehicle occupants. Rear seat occupants who fail to buckle up are two times more likely to be killed, eight times more likely to be seriously injured, and two times more likely to kill a front seat occupant by becoming a projectile.
The fine for an unbuckled passenger is $50, whether in the front or rear seats.
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