An Act establishing a primary seat belt law
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J22 | Accompanied | — |
| Bill | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| H2688 | An Act establishing a primary seat belt law | Active |
Section 13A of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in the place thereof the following paragraph:- Any person who operates a motor vehicle without a safety belt, and any person 16 years of age or over who rides as a passenger in a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt in violation of this section, shall be subject to a fine of 50 dollars. Any operator of a motor vehicle shall be subject to an additional fine of 50 dollars for each person under the age of 16 and no younger than 12 who is a passenger in said motor vehicle and not wearing a safety belt. The provisions of this section shall be enforced by law enforcement agencies when an operator of a motor vehicle or passenger who rides in the motor vehicle is not wearing a safety belt in violation of motor vehicle laws. Safety belt violations will not result in surcharges on motor vehicle insurance premiums, and a police officer may not search or inspect a motor vehicle, its contents, the driver, or a passenger solely because of a violation of this section. Fees derived from primary seat belt citations shall be deposited in the Head Injury Treatment Services Trust Fund established in Section 59 of Chapter 10.
The provisions of Section 1 shall take effect 180 days from the effective date of this act.
SECTION 1. Section 13A of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in the place thereof the following paragraph:- Any person who operates a motor vehicle without a safety belt, and any person 16 years of age or over who rides as a passenger in a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt in violation of this section, shall be subject to a fine of 50 dollars. Any operator of a motor vehicle shall be subject to an additional fine of 50 dollars for each person under the age of 16 and no younger than 12 who is a passenger in said motor vehicle and not wearing a safety belt. The provisions of this section shall be enforced by law enforcement agencies when an operator of a motor vehicle or passenger who rides in the motor vehicle is not wearing a safety belt in violation of motor vehicle laws. Safety belt violations will not result in surcharges on motor vehicle insurance premiums, and a police officer may not search or inspect a motor vehicle, its contents, the driver, or a passenger solely because of a violation of this section. Fees derived from primary seat belt citations shall be deposited in the Head Injury Treatment Services Trust Fund established in Section 59 of Chapter 10. SECTION 2. The provisions of Section 1 shall take effect 180 days from the effective date of this act.