If you live in the Sunshine State, there are many laws you need to know about regarding beaches, parking, nightlife, etc. However, perhaps some of the most important laws are those that deal with something you wear—or should be wearing—at all times: seat belts. The seat belt laws in Florida are unique to the state and should be followed accordingly if you reside there. Below I will list some of the most important Florida seat belt law points.
To start with, the Florida Highway Patrol and law enforcement require all drivers, front-seat passengers, and all passengers under the age of 18 to fasten their seat belts when entering a vehicle. The seat belt must be properly worn across the lap and over the chest and shoulders—the shoulder strap should never be slipped behind the arm or the entire seat belt buckled in behind the body of the occupant. When it comes to children, Florida has some additional seat belt laws. Children aged 3 and younger must be secured in a child-restraint seat approved by the federal government. Kids aged 4 and 5 must be secured either by a federally approved safety belt or child restraint. As can be expected, the driver is responsible for buckling up any children in his or her vehicle.
Florida law requires all passengers to wear a seat belt, regardless of the motorized vehicle they are driving in. The only exceptions to the law are those certified by a physician with a medical condition that causes seat belt use to impede on their health, employees of a newspaper home delivery service (while delivering newspapers), school buses bought new before December 31st, 2000, buses used for transportation of people for compensation, trucks of a net weight exceeding 26,000 pounds, and farm equipment. If you do not fall into any of these categories, you should buckle into your seat belt or risk getting pulled over and fined!
The cost for a seat belt violation in Florida is $30. The violation is raised to $60 for children that are not properly restrained.
Of course, whether you live in Florida or another location, your seat belts may become faulty or frayed over time. If your seat belt webbing needs replacement or the seat belt mechanism itself needs repair, you can turn to the company Safety Restore. Simply log onto safetyrestore.com and select the seat belt service you are interested in.
