Florida Criminal Lawyer Blog

Here in Florida, front seat passengers are required by law to wear seat belts. In fact, it’s illegal to drive a vehicle if passengers do not comply. Furthermore, all passengers under 18 must wear a seat belt or be restrained by a child car seat regardless of where they ride in the car. The fine for a child not properly restrained is $60, while adult seatbelt violations incur a fine of $30.

Despite this, a recent survey designed to measure the effectiveness of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign found that more than 12% of Florida motorists don’t wear seat belts. The survey found that the worst seat belt offenders are males, pickup truck drivers, Central Floridians, and travelers on local roads. Women and those over age 60 who use South Florida highways are the most likely to buckle up.

However, seat belt use did increase by 2.2% after the safety belt campaign, so that’s good news for Florida safety officials.

Sources: State of Florida Seat Belt Laws, DMVFlorida.org

More drivers using seat belts in Florida, survey says, South Florida Sun Sentinel, September 14, 2010

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According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, 82% of Florida drivers wear a seat belt. That statistic represents a sharp increase over statistics from previous years, but it is still less than the 87% of drivers who wear seat belts in the 26 states with primary seat belt laws.

The Florida legislature recently sent a bill to Governor Charlie Crist that would allow police to write $30 tickets to drivers who do not buckle up. Right now failure to wear a seat belt is a secondary offense, meaning that drivers can only get a seat-belt citation if they are pulled over for other traffic violations, such as speeding. The bill is named for a former legislator's daughter, who was killed in a 1996 car accident. Governor Crist has said he will sign the bill into law.

Although the bill has been introduced and shot down for the past several years, it passed this year because it would make the state eligible for one-time, $35.5 million traffic safety grant from the federal government.

Bill allowing tickets for failure to wear seat belts is sent to Gov. Charlie Crist, South Florida Sun Sentinel, April 29, 2009

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