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Who must wear a seat belt in Florida?

A woman in the driver's seat wearing a seat belt, with a small child buckled into a child car seat in the back seat.

Under Florida's safety belt law, who must be restrained?

Answer choices

The answer

The driver must be belted, every front-seat passenger 18 or older must be belted while the vehicle is moving, and every passenger under 18 must be belted or in a child restraint where required.

The operator must be restrained by a safety belt. Each passenger under 18 must be restrained by a safety belt or, where required, a child restraint device. Passengers 18 or older who ride in the front seat must be belted when the vehicle is in motion.

A violation is a nonmoving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318.

Exceptions

  • Exempt persons include someone certified by a physician as having a medical condition that makes belt use inappropriate, certain newspaper, solid waste and rural mail carriers on routes, and living quarters of an RV or a cargo space in a truck.
  • The law does not cover school buses, certain buses carrying people for pay, farm tractors, large trucks over 26,000 lbs, motorcycles, mopeds or bicycles.

Penalty

Nonmoving violation under chapter 318. The statute page does not list fine amounts.

Why this rule matters for safety

A belt keeps people from striking the car interior or being thrown out in a crash. An unbelted passenger can also hurt other occupants.

Official sources

Rules checked against these sources on . Laws change. Confirm with the Florida agency before you rely on this for a legal matter.

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