Seat Belt Safety

Seat Belt Safety Law

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-603 describes Tennessee as a primary safety belt state. Drivers are required to wear safety belts at all times when operating a motor vehicle in Tennessee. All drivers and front seat passengers are covered by the seat belt law and must have a seat belt properly fastened about their bodies at all times when the vehicle is in a forward motion.

Children less than age 18 are covered under the Tennessee Child Passenger Safety and Graduated Driver Licensing laws. All occupants in ALL seating positions should buckle up. Unbuckled rear-seat occupants can injure buckled front-seat occupants, as well as themselves, when they are thrown around or out of a vehicle during a crash.

Access a free online version of the Tennessee Code for more information about this law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I be ticketed for unbelted passengers?
Drivers are responsible for themselves and for all child passengers less than age 18 in the front or back seat. Licensed passengers 16 or older are responsible for themselves and will be ticketed instead of the driver. The primary seat belt law allows law enforcement to stop a vehicle if the driver and passengers are not properly restrained, whereas previously, they would have to be stopped for another offense before being ticketed.
Why is Click It or Ticket necessary? Don't law enforcement officers enforce this law all the time?
Seat belt laws are enforced regularly along with many other safety laws. However, during regular enforcement activity, often the only person who knows that seat belt laws are being enforced is the person receiving the ticket. Aggressive, coordinated, highly publicized enforcement campaigns send a strong message that everyone must be buckled up. It also enhances the perceived importance of seat belt usage and, in turn, leads to greater compliance.
Why devote state resources to Click It or Ticket?
Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death in Tennessee and the United States. Therefore, they are a significant threat to public health. Failure to buckle up contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. Increasing seat belt usage is the most effective and immediate way to save lives and reduce injuries on roadways.
Isn't it my personal right to choose to buckle up or not?
All traffic laws impose some limitation of choice on individuals. It is important to remember that driving is not a “right,” but a privilege, granted and controlled by the State of Tennessee. Citizens often accept the legitimacy of traffic laws because it is apparent to them that failure to obey the law could result in harm to the motorist or others. Opponents of the seat belt law often claim that no one else would be hurt if they do not use seat belts. This is not true. Unrestrained occupants often injure others in crashes, and unbelted drivers have less control during a crash, often increasing the severity. Increased injuries result in increased costs to all Tennessee citizens.
Are both lap and shoulder belts required?
The law requires the proper use of whatever seat belt system the seating position provides. Vehicles equipped with air bags also provide lap and shoulder belts that must be worn. Some vehicles have automatic shoulder belts with lap belts that are fastened manually. These manual lap belts must be used for compliance and for maximum protection.
My car doesn’t have seat belts. Do I have to install them?
Cars manufactured after 1967 and vans, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles manufactured after 1971, are required by federal standards to have belts. Belts must be installed in these vehicles if the original seat belts have been removed. Vehicles brought in from other countries must be upgraded to conform with applicable federal motor vehicle standards. This means that passenger vehicles, light trucks and vans brought in from other countries must be fitted with belts if they were manufactured after the above date.
Our pickup truck only has three seat belts, but there are four in our family. What do we do?
The bottom line is that there is no safe way to carry more people than you have belts to accommodate. If room allows, extra belts can be installed to protect more people. As far as the law is concerned, if you have four people and three belts, the fourth person is in violation of the law.
I’m too large for my seat belt to fit around me. What should I do?
Seat belt extenders are available for most domestic vehicles for a small fee. These extenders are 10-inch lengths of webbing with buckles on both ends to fit onto the belts already in the vehicles. Take the information on the seat belt label, along with your vehicle, to the parts department of your local dealer. Extenders are not interchangeable, so go to the dealer for your particular vehicle. If you have any trouble getting service from the dealer, try another dealer or call the customer assistance number listed in your owner's manual. Check your owner's manual for an explanation of these belt systems.
Now that I’m pregnant, should I still wear a seat belt?
Yes, especially now. The greatest threat to the unborn child is death or serious injury to the mother, and a seat belt will help insure your survival in the event of a crash. When possible, both the lap and shoulder belt should be worn with the lap portion low and snug on the hips beneath the baby and the shoulder belt snug and above the baby.
Can’t seat belts actually cause injuries?
Yes, they can cause some injuries, especially in severe crashes. These injuries are usually limited to bruises and cracked collarbones and ribs - minor injuries when compared to what often happens without the seat belt. It is important that belts be worn correctly to reduce the chance that they might injure you. Lap belts should be worn as low and snug as possible on the hips since belts that are worn high on the stomach can cause injuries. Shoulder belts must also be worn snugly across the shoulder and chest. Never wear a shoulder belt with more than an inch of space between your chest and the belt. Too much slack will allow your head to go too far forward in a crash. If the shoulder belt rubs against your neck and is uncomfortable, try adjusting your sitting position or the position of the vehicle seat to get a proper fit. Do not place the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm. With the shoulder belt behind the back, your head will be thrown forward to strike the dashboard, windshield, or the air bag. As with the belts behind the back, shoulder belts under the arm do not hold your head back away from danger. In addition, the belt under the arm can fracture ribs and cause serious internal injuries.
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
A person charged with a violation may, in lieu of appearance in court, submit a fine of $30.00 for a first violation, and fifty-five dollars $55.00 for a second or subsequent violation to the clerk of the court that has jurisdiction of the offense within the county in which the offense charged is alleged to have been committed.

Law Enforcement Campaigns

Click It or Ticket

As summer kicks off and families hit the road for vacation, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office partners with local law enforcement to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.” From May to June, participating agencies across the state increase seat belt enforcement as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) nationwide mobilization.


According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half (48%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.

Border to Border

To launch the Tennessee Highway Safety Office’s “Click It or Ticket” seat belt initiative with the highest level of support, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spearheads “Border to Border” (B2B), a 1-day national seat belt awareness kickoff event coordinated by participating State highway safety offices and their respective law enforcement liaisons.


The B2B program aims to increase law enforcement participation by coordinating highly visible seat belt enforcement and providing seat belt fact sheets for drivers at heavily traveled and highly visible State border checkpoints. The B2B event is held in May, commencing “Click It or Ticket” week, which runs through June and covers the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Saved By The Belt

Purpose

For Tennessee Law Enforcement:


  • To identify individuals whose lives are saved or injuries significantly reduced because they were wearing a safety belt or protected by an air bag and a safety belt at the time of a crash.
  • To provide documented evidence of cases where safety belts and other occupant protection devices “made the difference”
  • To reinforce the life-saving importance of occupant protection for individuals involved in motor vehicle crashes and encourage others to use them.
  • To increase Tennessee public awareness on the benefits of use of safety belts, air bags and child safety seats.
Who Qualifies

Persons who are eligible for receiving the certificate(s) must meet all of the following criteria:


  • Nominee must be a Tennessee resident.
  • Any person and/or their spouse and children involved in a motor vehicle crash whose lives were saved or injuries reduced because of the use of a safety restraint or air bag and safety belt.
  • The crash occurred after December 31, 2007 to present.
  • Nominees must be using the proper combination of safety restraints. For example, safety belts were properly used in vehicles equipped with an airbag; use of the manual lap belt is required with some automatic belt systems; child nominees who are required to be restrained by a child safety seat must be properly secured in the child restraint and the restraint must be properly secured in the vehicle by a safety belt.
  • Nominees may not be the driver of the “at-fault” vehicle; i.e., if the crash review finds the crash could have been prevented the nominee will NOT qualify.
Review Procedures

Each entry will be reviewed using the following criteria:


  • Severity of crash.
  • Severity of injuries/condition.
  • Circumstances surrounding the crash .
  • After full review, The Tennessee “Saved By The Belt” Committee reserves the right not to grant the presentation of the certificate(s) .
Disclaimer

Nominees agree to allow the use of their name and crash information in promotional activities for the “Saved By The Belt” program. Nominees release the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Department of Safety and its representatives from any obligation or liability associated with the certificate(s) and subsequent promotions of this program.



Contact

Steve Dillard

East Tennessee Region Law Enforcement Liaison
Phone: 423.421.3443
Fax: 423.305.0898
Email: stevedil@comcast.net



Contact: Julie Brewer

  • Child Passenger Safety State Coordinator
  • jbrewer@tntech.edu
  • 931.372.3318 (Direct)
  • 800.99.BELTS