What's happening
This bill requires all rear seat passengers in most vehicles to wear seat belts, assigning penalties to unrestrained adults or guardians of minors.
Why it matters
Expands seat belt requirements. to include all rear seat passengers (not just front seat), aiming to reduce injuries and fatalities among unrestrained back seat occupants in motor vehicle crashes.
Assigns clear legal responsibility. adults (18+) are personally liable for not wearing seat belts in the back seat, while parents or guardians are held responsible for minors (under 18), potentially increasing compliance among teens and children.
Exempts specific vehicles. such as taxis, liveries, and most buses (except transit buses as newly defined), meaning the law primarily targets private passenger vehicles, which are statistically more likely to transport unbelted rear passengers.
Introduces a new definition for “transit bus,”. clarifying which public transportation vehicles are subject to seat belt requirements, and potentially affecting operators and riders of these specific services.
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Who cares
Rear-seat passengers age 16 and older
The bill would require them to wear approved safety belts, extending the existing front-seat requirement to the back seat.
Taxi and livery operators
The bill would make specified seat-belt provisions apply to taxis and liveries, removing their existing exemption.
Bus operators
The bill would apply the seat-belt section to buses except transit buses designed for standing passengers and short trips on fixed routes with frequent stops.
Parents and guardians of passengers 17 and younger
Under the amended exemption provision, they would be responsible for penalties for unrestrained back-seat passengers in their care, while passengers 18 and older would bear their own penalties.
Headline styles
Require Rear Seat Belts
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
9 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
9832
IN ASSEMBLY
February 14, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. ARROYO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to rear passenger seat belts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1, subdivision 3 and subdivision 9 of section 1229-c of the vehicle and traffic law, the opening paragraph of subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 18 of the laws of 2005, subdivision 3 as added by chapter 365 of the laws of 1984 and subdivision 9 as amended by chapter 340 of the laws of 2017, are amended to read as follows:
No person shall operate a motor vehicle, other than taxis, liveries and buses in this state unless:
3. No person shall operate a motor vehicle unless such person is restrained by a safety belt approved by the commissioner. No person sixteen years of age or over shall be a passenger in the front or back seat of a motor vehicle unless such person is restrained by a safety belt approved by the commissioner.
9. [Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision four of this section, the provisions of this] This section shall [not] apply to buses [other than school buses] with the exception of transit buses as defined in section one hundred eight-a of this chapter and the provisions of subdivisions one, two, three and three-a of this section shall [not] apply to taxis and liveries. Under this subdivision, any penalties for an unrestrained back seat passenger shall be the responsibility of such passengers that are ages eighteen or older; for those passengers that are seventeen and younger, such penalty shall be the responsibility of his or her parent or guardian.
§ 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 1229-c of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 393 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
No person shall operate a motor vehicle, other than taxis, liveries and buses in this state unless:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08896-05-8
A. 9832 2
§ 3. The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 108-a to read as follows:
§ 108-a. Transit bus. A motor vehicle as defined under section one hundred four of this article intended to accommodate standing passengers, traveling short distances on a fixed route making frequent stops.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided however that section two of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as chapter 393 of the laws of 2017, takes effect.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.