New York’s New Seat Belt Law Goes Into Effect This Sunday

This Sunday, there are a few things you need to remember. Not only do you need to turn your clocks back an hour before we go to sleep, at 2 a.m. it becomes 1 a.m. again, but if you are traveling in the backseat of a car, you will need to buckle up.

At midnight on Sunday, November 1st, New York's new seat belt law goes into effect. Back in August, Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that makes it mandatory that all passengers in the rear seats of vehicles must wear their seat belts regardless of age.

According to New York State's official website, violators can be fined $50 per person. The operator of the vehicle can also be fine up to $100 and have three points placed on their license for each infraction. So if you have two passengers in the back seat that aren't buckled up, you as the driver could be fined $200 and have 6 points put against your license, which could lead to higher insurance costs.

Prior to the new laws taking effect this Sunday, only people under the age of 16 were required to wear a seat belt. It's a law that New York State politicians say will save lives. The Automobile Association of America (AAA) has been pushing to have a rear seat belt law passed for well over four years.

The Automobile Association of America's website states that since 1985, more than 1500 adults that were passengers in the back seat a vehicles in New York State, died while not wearing their seat belts.

New York State was the first state in the US to pass a seat belt law back in 1984. That was signed into law by Andrew Cuomo's Father Mario when he was governor of New York. That law required that anyone sitting in the front seat of a vehicle must wear a seat belt.

[via: New York State/AAA]