Seatbelt Violation

Gah.

Got pulled over for not using the shoulder belt

Never had anything said to me before about seatbelts... Even when getting pulled over for other items... I didn't even realize the law required using the shoulder belts.

It's only a $10 ticket but it's still irritating since I thought shoulder belt usage wasn't required on cars this old. ANybody familar with the law?

 

not for alambama. I just got my second seatbelt offense here in cali. exspensive

 

If it's got them, you got to use them. Thats the way it is here.

 

1964 and older in Georgia. 1965 is the year the Fed's started making Detroit put seatbelts in new cars. Before that seatbelts were an option like power steering and a heater.

 

yeah but what year did they start in on the shoulder belts. I had a 70 f100 with lap belts (i think it was a 70)

 

Yep.

Unfortunately, if you do get rid of them that gives the cop just one more reason to take a closer look.

 

The 71 in my sig has the shoulder belts. My 70 does not but it is far from original.

 

I took the shoulder belts out of my 73 when I redid the headliner, and I don't plan on putting them back in, no holes = no shoulder belts.

 

Yeah, I use my lap belt.
I figure the shoulder belt is 'optional' and the lap belt ought to cover the law.
I suppose I am wrong.

I'll just do away with my shoulder belts too, like Dave said.
That way, out of sight, out of mind.
They are a nusance anyway. Shoulder belts that don't retract tend to sag, fall at the worst time, rattle, tangle, etc...

IMO, the lap belt should be good enough to satisfy the law.

 

Heard on the news this morning, that the cops are doing everything they can to write tickets and violations in order to raise money for the cities and municipalities they work for. Seems like they are all running out of money, and this is the easiest way to raise it. What a rip!!!!!

 

I totally agree with earl

 

Sure, but our tickets are $15 and his was a whopping $10. Hard way to make up a budget problem.

 

Just had the same dang issue. Maryland law says Class L historic registered vehicles are EXEMPT from the maditory seat belt law and the jackwad cop still wrote the ticket. i called his supervisor over it and everything and the supervisor said that the ticket was already written and if I wanted to fight it to take the day off and go to court. So I am going to do just that. Just to prove the point that the cop was WRONG in writing the ticket after I mentioned it to him that the car I was driving was registered as historic.

Anyway I am in the process of waiting for my court date now. In Maryland you have somethign liek 15 days to pay the ticket which is basically an admition of guilt OR if you do not pay it within the 15 days the mail you a court date. When I get the court date I am planning on calling the distric attorney's office and asking them if they REALLY want ot proceed with the ticket since it is a bogus ticket to begin with. Most of the time they will drop it as to not waste the courts time. If they don't want to drop it then I will go to court and either tell the judge my side and let him know that The Seargant (supervisor) that I talked to thought it was a good use of the courts time and money to prosecute me for a bogus $25 fine or more than likely the cop won't show up and they will toss the case anyway.

I know it seems stupid to burn my annual leave by taking the day off to go to court over a $25 ticket but I was very polite to the officer when he first came up to the car and actually mentioned to him that the car I was driving was exempt and he went back to his cruiser with a laptop right next to him and didn't bother to check. When I got to work I did a google on Maryland seatbelt exemptions or something similar and the first link that came up was the link for historic cars. He could have done the same thing and just not written the ticket. But he chose to inform me that I was to either wear the seatbelt OR DO NOT drive the vehicle on the road. Pffft.

Anyway nobody prolly wanted to hear that story all over again but my suggestion to you is check your State's MVA/DMV website and do a search for exemptions for seatbelt laws and see what comes up.

 

I agree.

My car. I should have the right to choose if I want to use a seatbelt. The ONLY decent argument Ive ever heard for the seatbelt law is if my body gets ejected in a crash it could hurt someone else... Well im not leaving the car with the lap belt so there goes that issue.

 

Was your ticket about the shoulder belt or not wearing a belt all together?