Home Automotive AdviceMotoring Laws and Legal Advice Seat Belt Tickets Cost – How Expensive Is It?

Seat Belt Tickets Cost – How Expensive Is It?

by Jordan Harris
Seat Belt Tickets Cost

Have you got yourself interested in learning the possible repercussions of driving without a seat belt and you want to learn the seat belt tickets cost? If this is the case, then you are at the right place because there will be a lot to cover on this topic and learn how much can you expect to pay if you don’t respect the law.

Respecting the law is probably one of the things that you need to do in life. Still, it happens to almost everyone to forget sometimes about some things like seat belts. As you know, we are not preprogrammed machines that do everything in the right manner, always. And that is the story with the seat belts.

If you don’t have a buzzer to remind you or have a seat belt light, you will probably forget. It happens to me all the time. But after some short distance a notification will pop up and I will buckle up. And this is of great use since by wearing your seat belts you protect yourself in case there is an accident and possibly avoid some fatal injuries or avoid paying seat belt tickets. And that we are going to cover in this article.

First, we are going to learn what are the seat belts and the types of seat belts that are out there. We will also cover something more about the history of the seat belts and also the seat belt ticket cost. We will also discuss if you can get your license suspended because of this. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.

What Are Seat Belts? – Seat Belt Tickets Cost

Before we delve into complex topics like the seat belt tickets cost. Let’s first learn more about seat belts and their importance. Since this is an article about seat belts and will be quite useful for people who want to learn some facts about them and their history.

Nevertheless, seat belts are one of the things that are essential in this modern world where the traffic is blazing fast and you just cannot rely on your driving skill in case of an accident. There are still some people out there that don’t know where they are going with their cars and even when you least expect it, they could end up smashing your car.

Seat Belt Tickets Cost

And here the seat belts come into play. Seat belts basically help you not to get too much hurt in case of an incident and avoid some injuries that can be permanent. Bruises go away, but fractured bones and torn nerves, not quite.

So, the seat belt is one of the essentials that are available out there as protection in our cars. And the seat belts are working the best in combination with the airbag. The seat belt holds your body in check in case of an accident and makes sure that if the airbag explodes, it doesn’t hurt.

The seat belt also helps in case of a rollover. There are a ton of people in roll-over incidents that die because they were not buckled. If you are buckled you will not get thrown out of the car. Which is a good thing. As you see, seat belts have a ton of positives. But what do the seat belt tickets cost? We will get there in a bit.

History Of Seat Belts

Before we learn the seat belt tickets cost and the types of seat belts. Let’s first learn more about the history of seat belts and the idea of seat belts in general. This chapter will be quite fun and filled with some historical facts that everybody should know.

The first seat belt in history was invented by George Cayley in the 19th century. He invented this seat belt for his glider. So, you can see that the belts were firstly used in aeronautical applications and later in cars. Because airplanes have developed at a much faster pace than regular automobiles. They were widely used in fighter jets to secure pilots and their copilots while they pulled off incredible maneuvers in the skies above Europe during WW1.

The first idea about retractable seat belts in cars was brought to light by Dr. C. Hunter Shelden in 1946. He was a neurological practician and had the idea to do something for his patients who were mostly suffering from injuries that they got in car accidents.

And the first car manufacturer that used seat belts was Nash Motors in 1949. But people did not like them and have asked Nash to remove them. Ford also offered them in 1955 as an option and only 2% of the customers wanted this option.

And this practice of negative view towards seat belts continued until 1980 when the mandatory act for every carmaker to install seat belts was voted. And since seat belts were made mandatory. There was also a seat belt tickets cost that had to be put in place.

But before we dive into the seat belt tickets cost. Let’s first learn more about the different types of seat belts that are out there and how they differentiate from one another.

Types Of Seat Belts

Now before we learn the seat belt tickets cost. Let’s first learn more about seat belts, more precisely the types of seat belts that are out there. Knowing the types will make you sure what type of seat belt are you having and be more informed about this stuff in general.

Seat Belt Tickets Cost

So, what are the different types of seatbelts? Let’s elaborate.

Two Point Seat Belts

The two-point seat belt is probably the one you have if you are running a classic motor. It was until the 80’s that more advanced seat belts were invented. And also the seat belt tickets cost instated.

These belts are also known as lap belts. Meaning that they protect the driver by buckling his lap and keeping it in place in case of an accident.

Sadly though, they weren’t that effective and something else had to be invented and a new approach to this question to be brought up in the public eye. And that was how to make seat belts safer. And that we are going to discuss next.

Three-Point Seat Belts

We learned about the two-point seat belts and before we dive into the seat belt tickets cost, let’s learn about the three-point seat belts.

These seat belts were invented back in the ’60s and were often ignored for the lap belt because people didn’t like the idea of a seat belt in the first place. Meaning that the smaller the belt the more people the car would attract and sell better. Safety back in the day was the least of priority. Even smoking was the coolest thing ever during these days. So, you can imagine.

But the three-point seat belt was invented during this time and after the 80’s it become mandatory. These are in general the seat belts that we are using right now on our cars. They are much better than lap belts because they keep the upper torso also in check. And also reduce the chance of the driver being ejected in case of a rollover. Overall, an excellent improvement that made safety a lot better.

So, in case you were wondering about the type of belt you are running, this would probably be it. Unless you are using a 70’s or earlier model. But what about the seat belt tickets cost? We will get there. Let’s cover the last type of belt.

Multi-Point Seat Belts

The last type of belts that we are going to cover before we learn the seat belt tickets cost are the multi-point seat belts.

This type of seat belt is also known as a race harness. Usually, there are straps that go on both shoulders, two from the sides and one strap between your legs. And these straps buckle in the center where your belly sits.

Overall, an excellent choice if you are running a race car that needs this level of security. Using a race harness on a daily basis is not that practical and will be also quite uncomfortable for you and your passengers. Unless you are one of those guys that are so into cars that everything in its car wants to have that race car feel. But what do the seat belt tickets cost? We will get there, let’s first discuss the pros of wearing seat belts.

Pros Of Wearing Seat Belts – Avoid Seat Belt Tickets Cost?

So, before we dive into the seat belt tickets cost. Let’s learn more about the pros of having a seat belt on. Because if you are one of those guys who look for this information, you probably often avoid buckling your seat belt.

Namely, the first benefit of having a seat belt on is that you will be a lot safer in case of an accident. Let’s not repeat ourselves, but having your seat belt on, will mean that you might end up with only a few bruises or scratches if something serious happens. In contrast, if you don’t run a seat belt, you could end up with broken bones or even get your life in danger.

Seat Belt Tickets Cost

Seat belts also keep you in place. Meaning that if your car rolls over, you would not be thrown outside of the vehicle and get killed. Which is a good thing.

Seat belts are also designed to work along with airbags. Meaning that whenever your crash your car, the seat belt will keep you in place and you will not get injured if the airbag deploys.

Also, in case of an accident or if you get a ticket and your insurance is aware of this practice of yours, they can say, hey he is extremely unreliable, and why we would want to pay him when he doesn’t follow the rules. Simple as that, not that this will for sure going to happen. But it could.

And the last thing is that the seat belt is reducing your chance to get a ticket and pay the seat belt tickets cost. And that is something that we are going to elaborate on in one of the following chapters.

Can You Get A Ticket If You Don’t Wear Your Seat Belt?

Yes, you can get a ticket if you don’t wear your belt and you might be later looking for the seat belt tickets cost. But is this the case in each state in the North American continent? Not quite.

In fact, only one state doesn’t have a law for a seat belt. And which state is this? The answer is New Hampshire. Yup, that’s right. If you live in New Hampshire, you are not required by the authorities to wear a seat belt.

All, the other states on the other hand have laws concerning whether you should wear a seat belt or not. Some of the states, 34 states to be more precise have the so-called primary seat belt laws. This means that the police in these states can fine you even if you didn’t do anything else wrong. They can just stop you and give you a ticket for the seat belts.

15 other states on the other hand have the so-called secondary seat belt laws. This law requires you to make another infraction and then they will be able to fine you for the seat belt. So, if you are good, you don’t need to worry about it.

For better information on which state has the primary and which states has the secondary law, you can google it out and see how are your local laws. But even if your state has a secondary law, it doesn’t mean that it is good for you to drive without a seat belt, you can still get a ticket for another thing.

And that’s what we are going to cover in the following chapter where we will elaborate on this topic and learn more about the prices of the tickets.

Seat Belt Ticket Cost

So what do the seat belts tickets cost? Well, this greatly depends from state to state. Since every state has different laws and different fees for a certain ticket.

What is important though is that the fees are not that big unless you live in these states that we are going to list. We will list the states that have the highest seat belt tickets cost.

One of the states that have the highest ticket cost is probably California. If you get fined in Cali, you will get a $162 fine. Another expensive state to get a ticket in is Connecticut, where the fins usually are $92 if you are below 18 and $120 if you are above 18 years old.

Texas has the highest fees for seat belts. The cost for a ticket in Texas is $200. Then Washington and Oregon with $124 and $110 respectively. These states that we listed till now have the highest tickets that you can get. Luckily for you, other states do not have big-ticket fees.

In New York, the fee is $50, Maine $50, New Jersey $46, Rhode Island $40, and Utah $45. And these are the second most expensive states.

Every other state besides these we have mentioned has below $40 tickets cost. The cheapest tickets are probably in Tennessee where it costs only $10, Missouri $10, Arizona $10. Overall, pretty insignificant fees that won’t change a lot in your life.

The highest fees are in Texas and California. And you should think twice while there to drive without your seat belt buckle. But let’s say that you got a ticket. What you can do next, what are the following steps that you can make and avoid bigger repercussions? That’s what we are going to cover next.

What To Do After You Get A Ticket

We learned the seat belt tickets cost. Now let’s see what to do whenever you get a ticket. This guide is for any kind of ticket. It doesn’t have to be connected with the belts like in this case. So, what are the steps that you need to follow to get the situation sorted? Let’s elaborate.

The first thing you need to do is to remain respectful to the policeman and sign the ticket. We all make mistakes sometimes and we need to learn to cope with these things.

Remain calm and focus on driving. Place the ticket in the glove compartment in order not to lose concentration and head up home or a place where you can park and carefully read the ticket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKmz5CG0SJw

The ticket should say everything when it comes to your following steps when it comes to the ticket and how to pay for it.

Usually, there are a few ways that you can pay for the ticket. One of them is to pay for it online. This way is probably the simplest way to finish with this thing, then there is an option to pay by phone. This is another good way that you can use to pay. Or do the good old method by going there in person and paying for the ticket and getting a receipt.

If you need to go to court you will also have to appear there. Not appearing in court means that you are not respecting the law. Still, this is often the case with more serious offenses, and a seat belt tickets cost will not make you also go to court. Since this is a trivial thing. But can you get suspended? Let’s see.

Can You Get Your License Suspended If You Fail To Pay The Seat Belt Tickets Cost?

We learned about the seat belt tickets cost. Now let’s see if you can get your license suspended if you fail to pay a ticket? The short answer is yes. Some states are stricter while some are more liberal. But they often don’t tolerate people who often get tickets.

When someone is getting tickets quite often means that this person is really doing something wrong. These actions are not in terms of what a driver should be and they will simply suspend your license after you get one or two unpaid tickets.

Don’t just ignore it and pretend like you don’t get a ticket. If you do this, your license probably will get suspended for a certain amount of time. And if you are not aware of this decision and your driver’s license is suspended and you are caught driving, then you are in real trouble because you can even go to jail for a few days and pay a significant fee.

That’s why make sure that you pay for all your tickets on time and avoid situations like this ever happening. Learn the seat belt tickets cost and make sure that you are good. If not you might get suspended. But what you can do if your license is suspended? That’s what we will learn next.

What To Do If You Get Your License Suspended Because Of Tickets?

In case your license gets suspended because of tickets, will mean that you will get a suspension period that you will be notified of via mail usually. If not you will have to check online or at the local DMV office if your driver’s license was suspended.

Meaning that you need to make sure that your license is suspended and avoid driving at any cost during this period. If not, you can get your license revoked and not be able to drive again. A big punishment for seat belt tickets cost of only a couple of dollars.

After the suspension period is over, you can reinstate your driver’s license at the DMV. This is necessary and if you don’t reinstate it, you will not be able to drive.

Conclusion To Seat Belt Tickets Cost

In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to the seat belt tickets cost. First, we learned more about seat belts and their history. We covered the main types that are used nowadays in modern vehicles.

Then we have learned about the primary and secondary mandates that states have. Also, in New Hampshire, seat belts are not required at all. After, we focused on the main aspect, and that is the seat belt tickets cost. We learned the cost that you have to pay for these infractions. Overall, always have your seat belt on and be safe. Because safety is the number one priority.

You may also like

Leave a Comment