Seat Belts

Lap/shoulder safety belts, when used correctly, reduce the risk of death to front seat occupants by 45% and risk of moderate to critical injury by 50%.

Seat Belt Facts

• Every hour someone dies in America because they were not wearing a seat belt.
• The fatality rate for people wearing seat belts in crashes is 1 in 732. The fatality rate for unrestrained individuals is 1 in 40.
• Eighty percent of all vehicle crashes occur at speeds of less than 40 mph.
• Half of all traffic fatalities occur at speeds of less than 40 mph.
• Three out of four auto-related deaths occur within 25 miles of home.
• At 30 mph, the impact of a crash has the same force as a head first jump from a three-story building.
• A 10 mph impact is equivalent to the force of catching a 200 pound bag of cement from a first floor window.
• A common cause of death and injury to children is being crushed by unbelted adults.
• People ejected from cars are more likely to be killed than occupants restrained in their seats.
• Hospital costs for unbelted crash victims average two-and -one-half to five times higher than costs for belt wearers.
• Unbelted crash victims have higher insurance claims, raising insurance premiums for everyone.
• Much of the cost that results from motor vehicle crashes is paid for with public funds. Increased belt use would save taxpayers billions of dollars every year.
• Wearing seat belts is the most effective means of reducing fatalities and serious injuries in traffic crashes.

Alabama Seat Belt Law

1999 "Each front seat occupant of a passenger car manufactured with safety belts in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 should have a safety belt properly fastened about his body at all times when the vehicle is in motion." The fine for a citation is $25.00. Remember, if you don’t click it, you will get a ticket!

State Milestones

1982 Car Seat Law through age 3
Every person transporting a child under the age of three years in a motor vehicle shall provide for the protection of the child by properly using a child passenger restraint system meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards.

1991 Secondary Seat Belt Law
Each front seat occupant of a passenger car manufactured with safety belts in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 shall have a safety belt properly fastened about his body at all times when the vehicle is in motion. Failure to use safety belts is a secondary offense.

1999 Primary Seat Belt Law
Changed the 1991 Seat Belt Law by making failure to use safety belts a primary offense.

2006 Car Seat Law under the age of 15
Changed the 1989 Car Seat Law by raising the age to children required to use a child passenger restraint system to 15 years.

View Changes in Alabama's Child Restraint Law
Effective July 1, 2006