Florida Seatbelt Law – Florida Uniform Traffic Citation
Florida Ticket Firm and its experienced Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County traffic ticket attorneys know how to defend seat belt tickets. Although a safety belt violation is a nonmoving violation, you don’t want to pay that ticket, because if you do, you are admitting guilt, and it will show up as a traffic conviction on your driving record. Many insurance companies look at convictions and will increase your insurance rates based on traffic convictions.
Wearing a seat belt is for your own good and the good of your passengers. No one wants to be seriously injured in a car accident by hitting your head on the steering wheel or on the dashboard or flying through the windshield because you weren’t wearing a seat belt. And you definitely don’t want to die because you weren’t wearing a seat belt. Safety belts are not always comfortable or convenient, but safety belts can save lives, including your own and those of your family members and your friends. Buckle up!
What is Florida’s Seatbelt Law?
The Florida Legislature legally requires that you wear a seat belt if you’re driving a car in Florida and that you wear a seat belt if you’re a front seat passenger in a car driven in Florida. You also have to make sure all passengers under 18 years of age are also restrained by a seat belt, and if those passengers are 5 years of age or younger, you have to make sure they are restrained by a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. If you or one of your passengers who is required to wear a seat belt or who is required to be in a child restraint device are spotted not wearing a seat belt or not in a child restraint device in Broward County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, Martin County, or St. Lucie County, you could end up with a Florida traffic ticket for failure to wear a seat belt.
Failure to wear a seat belt is a primary driving offense, so you can be pulled over solely for not wearing your seat belt. Florida law enforcement doesn’t have to have any other reason for pulling you over if they see you aren’t wearing your safety belt. Police officers, deputy sheriffs and state troopers look out for drivers and passengers who should be wearing seat belts, and if they don’t see seat belts being worn, those law enforcement officers are going to pull that car over and give you a “no seat belt” ticket.
Does a Seatbelt Ticket Go on Your Record?
In Florida, a seatbelt violation does not result in points being added to your driving record. However, it is still considered a traffic violation and may show up on your driving record. Additionally, a seatbelt violation in Florida may result in fines and penalties, with fines ranging from $30 to $114 depending on the circumstances of the offense.
Is a Seatbelt Ticket a Moving Violation?
In Florida, a seatbelt ticket is considered a nonmoving violation rather than a moving violation. This means that a seatbelt violation will not add points to your driving record or impact your insurance rates in the same way that a moving violation would.
People who should be wearing seat belts don’t wear seat belts for different reasons – but most of those reasons have nothing to do with safety and have nothing to do with saving your life if you end up in a car crash. However, if you have a medical condition that would make wearing a seat belt dangerous or inappropriate and your doctor or treating physician certifies that wearing a seat belt would be dangerous or inappropriate for you, you don’t have to wear a seat belt. Basically, if wearing a seat belt would pose potentially more imminent harm to you than the harm wearing a seat belt could prevent, the state of Florida is not going to make you wear a seat belt. You also don’t have to wear a seat belt if you’re driving on your newspaper route, if you’re working as a sanitation worker or recyclables collector, or if you’re hanging out in the back of your RV (recreational vehicle).
Fight No Seat Belt Ticket
If you receive a seat belt ticket for violating the Florida Safety Belt Law, don’t pay that ticket. You don’t want a traffic conviction and have to pay increased insurance rates. You want to call Florida Ticket Firm at 844-352-3476 for a FREE CONSULTATION and find out how our experienced Florida traffic ticket attorneys can help you.