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Legislation that requires all automobile passengers in New Jersey to wear a seat belt is now law.
Under the law's provisions, not wearing a seat belt qualifies as a secondary offense, meaning that in order to be stopped a car would have to be violating a primary offense such as speeding. Each unrestrained rear seat passenger would be responsible for any fine imposed for not wearing a seat belt.
This measure was signed into law Monday by Gov. Jon Corzine and it takes effect immediately.
Under the previous law, all passengers under the age of 18, drivers, and front seat passengers are required to wear a seat belt, but adult passengers in the back seat are not required to wear one.
"Wearing a seatbelt can mean the difference between escaping a car crash with little to no injury, and becoming a casualty," said Sen. Brian Stack (D-Hudson), the Senate sponsor of the law."According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, of the roughly 25,000 traffic fatalities that occurred in 2008, more than half of those fatalities were unrestrained passengers. To me, it is common sense that anyone in a car should wear a seatbelt. Through this law, we are regulating the segment of the population who still, for whatever reason, refuses to wear a seat belt, despite the warnings."
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
