What is the Only U.S. State Without a Mandatory Seat Belt Law for Adults? 5 Important Things to Know About Seat Belts

Every year, there happens a number of car accidents result in the death of the people. It is shown that those who wear seatbelts have a lower risk of dying and suffering major injuries in the event of a sudden stop or automobile accident. This is due to the fact that seatbelts keep you anchored to your seat and protect you from being thrown out of the car. Seat belt rules that compel adults to fasten their belts are present in every state other than one.

This article will address your most pressing issues regarding the seat belt rules in the United States, including the following:

What is the only U.S. state without a mandatory seat belt law for adults?

Put on your seatbelt at all times—it might save your life. Governments pass laws that require drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts. These laws are strictly enforced so that people will pay attention to this issue and lives will be saved.

In 1968, the first federal law that required people to wear seatbelts went into effect. It said that all new cars had to come with safety belts for all seats. The federal three-point seat belt regulation only requires automobiles to have a lap and shoulder belt, but state laws dictate who is required to wear seatbelts and the consequences for not doing so.

In the year 1984, New York was the first state to pass a law requiring people in the front seats to wear seatbelts. The regulation applied only to those traveling in vehicles with front seats. Others followed New York’s example.

Only New Hampshire doesn’t require adults to wear seatbelts. In the past, particularly in 2009 and 2018, the state of New Hampshire has made efforts to pass legislation requiring adults to wear seatbelts. In all instances, the Senate did not pass the laws that were being considered. This may or may not have anything to do with the official slogan of the state, which is “Live Free or Die.”

Seatbelt Laws – A Violation of Personal Freedom?

When David Hollister, a state representative in Michigan, proposed a law in the early 1980s that would have imposed a charge on drivers who were caught driving without wearing a seat belt, the state representative got hate mail equating him to Adolf Hitler. Even though the government required shoulder and lap belts to be installed in all new automobiles in 1968, only 14% of American adults regularly used them during that time.

At the time, it was common for people to be resistant to life-saving equipment.

Most of the disagreement over laws that require people to wear seat belts was based on ideological differences, even though drivers and passengers often complain about how uncomfortable and dangerous seat belts can be.

Why Don’t Drivers Wear Seat Belts in New Hampshire?

 A law mandating the use of seat belts by adults was never passed by the state of New Hampshire, despite the fact that the state compels drivers and passengers under the age of 18 to wear them.

In 2009, the House of Representatives talked about making people wear seat belts, but in the end, they decided not to.

There is no organized opposition to the use of seat belts, and critics of their efficacy have a difficult time making their case. However, those who are opposed to laws mandating the use of safety belts will claim that it is simply not the role of the government to require citizens to use seat belts. Many people in New Hampshire think it’s more important to protect their freedom to do risky things. This fits with the state’s tendency toward libertarianism.

Because New Hampshire has never passed legislation requiring its residents to wear seat belts, the state has the lowest rate of seat belt use of any other state in the country. The percentage is just 70 percent in New Hampshire, as compared to the national average of 90 percent.

The Top 5 Things One Must Know About Wearing a Seatbelt

1. Putting on your seatbelt is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself in the event of an accident.

Wearing a seatbelt is the best way to protect yourself from drunk, angry, or not-paying-attention drivers. In the event of a collision, wearing a seat belt may help keep you safe and secure inside your car; being totally ejected from a vehicle is almost always fatal.

2. Airbags are meant to complement the use of seat belts and are not intended to take their place.

If you are not wearing your seatbelt, you run the risk of being ejected forward into a frontal airbag when it deploys. You risk serious injury or perhaps death if subjected to such force. Educate yourself on the proper use of airbags.

3. Instructions for buckling up in a secure manner

• Both the shoulder belt and the lap belt should be fastened over the rib cage and pelvis since these areas of the body are more resilient to the impact of a collision than other sections of the body
• Position the shoulder belt so that it runs over the center of your chest, keeping it away from your neck
• It is your hips, not your stomach, that the lap belt will lay across
• Under no circumstances one should place the shoulder belt behind the back or under an arm

4. Fit matters

• Before you buy a new automobile, you should make sure that the seat belts in it are adjustable to the right size for you. 
• In order to acquire the greatest possible fit for your seat belt, ask your dealer about seat belt adjusters
• If you want a seat belt that is roomier, you should get in touch with the manufacturer of your car in order to purchase seat belt extenders
• If you drive an older or classic automobile that just has lap belts, you should contact the manufacturer of your vehicle to find out how to refit your car with the safer lap/shoulder belts that are available today

5. The importance of pregnant women and children using safety belts

Find out when your kid is old enough to wear a seat belt designed for adults, and educate yourself on how to use a seat belt safely while you are pregnant.

The Bottom Line

When getting into a car, always making sure that you are buckled in properly should be an automatic and natural driving practice. Even yet, there are still some individuals who do not understand the need to always fasten their seat belts while they are in a moving vehicle. Instead, they are putting themselves in a more dangerous situation since the safety features of the car will not protect them in the case of an accident.