Seat belts must be worn, as follows:

Yes, the following types of vehicles are exempt from the seat belt law:

[See Section 1229-c(9), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law.]

Yes. New York State's seat belt law is a "primary" law, which means that a police officer can stop you simply because you are not wearing your seat belt.

Yes. Front seat passengers sixteen and older can be fined up to $50 [Section 1229-c(5), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law].

Drivers can be fined up to $100 for each passenger under the age of sixteen who is not properly restrained in their vehicles [Section 1229-c(5), NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law].  The driver will also receive three violation points on his or her driver record.

School buses manufactured after 1987 must be equipped with seat belts, although New York State law does not currently require their use. However, a mandatory use policy may be in effect within your locality. To find out, ask your local school board.  By state law, children under four years old must be secured in a child safety seat on a school bus.

You can call the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

Yes. Your car's air bags were designed to be a supplemental restraint system. That is, they offer additional protection in the event of a crash. But air bags are not a substitute for seat belts. Rather, wearing a seat belt along with the added protection of an air bag can be highly effective in saving your life in an automobile crash.

Infants in rear-facing car seats should never be placed in the front seat of a car with a passenger-side air bag. While air bags provide effective protection for adult passengers, the great forces produced by an inflating air bag can injure or even kill a child. In fact, the safest place for children of all ages to ride is in the rear seat of the vehicle. If there is no other option, children in forward-facing child seats can ride in the front seat, but the passenger seat should be placed as far back from the dashboard (and air bag) as possible.