Seatbelt Safety

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Rockville City Police Department

Maryland's Adult Seat Belt Law

Beginning October 1, 1997, Maryland initiated the PRIMARY SEAT BELT LAW. This new law means that police officers will be able to ticket drivers and/or adult front seat passengers for not wearing a seat belt.

Other Vital Facts About the Law:

Covers all motor vehicles:

Registered in Maryland as a Class A (passenger), Class E (truck), Class F (truck tractor), Class M (multipurpose), or Class P (passenger bus) vehicle or the same types of vehicles registered in another state; and
Required to be equipped with seat belts under federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Who is covered by the law?

The law covers the driver and the front seat passenger next to the door, each or both of whom may receive a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. For example:

In the case of neither the driver nor the front seat passenger are buckled up - each of them will receive a ticket for $25.00.
In the case where neither the driver nor the front seat passenger (15 years of age or younger) are buckled up, the driver will receive a ticket for both. A $25.00 adult fine for the drivers and a $48.00 fine for the front seat passenger (15 years of age or younger). The $48.00 fine is covered under the provisions of the child passenger safety law.

Not covered by the law are:

Those who have a written certificate from their doctor stating a medical reason for not using their seat belt.
Drivers and passengers of Class L (historical) motor vehicles.
Children younger than 16 years of age, in all seating positions, in all vehicles, already are covered by Maryland's Child Passengers Safety Law.

MARYLAND'S CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY LAWS

The Maryland law changed on June 30, 2008 in regards to child safety seats:

Children up to age 8 will have to be secured in a federally-approved safety seat unless the child is at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall or weighs more than 65 pounds. Children who had been using adult seat belts will now have to return to a booster or safety seat. The new law also extends seatbelt regulations to all vehicles on the road in Maryland, compared with the previous version that only applied to Maryland-registered vehicles.

car baby seat front car seat seatbelt

A person may not transport a child younger than16 years of age unless the child is secured in: a child safety seat or a vehicle's seat belt in all seating positions in all vehicles.

A child younger than 16 years may not ride in an unenclosed cargo bed of a pick-up truck.

cargo

Please remember that it is very important that all children be properly secured in child safety seats and seat belts.

Buckle up our children - follow our law!

Questions? Call Maryland Kids in Safety Seats at 1-800-370-SEAT or Maryland State Highway Administration at (410) 787-5822.

Rockville City Police
Department of Public Safety
111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850
In case of emergency, call 911
240-314-8900 (non-emergency)