Seat Belt Laws
I am a Californian, born and raised my entire life in the state. My mother drilled it into my brain that when driving in a car, you always have your seat belt on. The one time that I didn’t, I ended up cutting my leg open, and now have a scar. I lived in a state where the laws were strict and when the “Click it or ticket” campaign came out, I was sure to obey it. Now presiding in Utah, I am alarmed to find out that there is no seat belt law.
I was driving in a car with a friend, and I put my seatbelt on and my friend started laughing. Did I do something wrong? He said “ I think it’s funny that you always put your seatbelt on” , puzzled, I ask “Don’t you wear one?” still chuckling he replied “No. I never wear one!”. It never occurred to me that people willingly choose to never wear their seatbelts.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has a helpful visual chart that will tell you if a seatbelt law is enforced in your state, who is covered, fees for being caught, etc. Utah, only requires people under the age of 19 to wear seat belts. Looking at the data, it surprised me to see that other states were more lenient on wearing seat belts; Idaho only requires children 7 and younger to wear seat belts. If a person were to get into a an accident, a seat belt could be the fine line between whether they live or die. Who knew that such a thin piece of material could save lives?
Here is a fun way to show kids the importance of seat belts with a catchy tune.
How hard is it to put on a seat belt? It could save your life or a the life of somebody you love.
Have more questions? The Utah Department of Public Safety has a helpful Q&A about seat belt laws in Utah. They also have information about car seats, and how to properly use seat belts.
A closer inspection of Utah. 
All growing up I wore a seat belt and my mom would sing a song about it. I didn’t even register what she was doing, I just thought singing the song was part of the process of buckling up. Just the other day my boyfriend got in the car and hadn’t buckled up yet and so I sang the song without even thinking. It was weird and he was caught off guard but it did the job!
By: eawaitt on October 19, 2009
at 11:54 pm
I can’t BELIEVE that people still find it “weird” to always wear your seat belt! Hello?! It SAVES your life. This may be an out there comment, but those who don’t wear seat belts make a dumb decision. And those who make dumb decisions are more likely to make more dumb decisions, and sometimes, dumb decisions cause accidents…..so is it safe to say that those who don’t wear their seat belt are more likely to get in a crash? Ironic…right???
By: charinaroy on October 31, 2009
at 11:32 pm
My parents still don’t wear their seat belts almost ever. I always try to remind them that it is important to me for them to wear their seat belts
By: codyman777 on October 31, 2009
at 11:41 pm