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New York State Seat Belt Law Enact
Highway crashes kill more people than any other form of transportation. Almost 31,700 people died in 2004 as occupants in auto crashes, 55% of whom were unrestrained. Lap/shoulder belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.
When adults are buckled up, 86 percent of children are buckled up, but when adults are not buckled up, only 50 percent of children are buckled up.
Seat belt use is about 10 to 15 percentage points higher in States with primary enforcement than in States with secondary enforcement.
NHTSA estimates that seat belts saved 14,903 lives in 2003. Had all passenger vehicle occupants over age 4 used seat belts, an additional 6,081 lives could have been saved.
Summary of Action
Twenty-two States (AL, CA, CT, DE, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, and WA) and the District of Columbia have enacted primary enforcement laws.
Fines for non-compliance in the United States typically range from $10 to $25; five States and the District of Columbia assess a fine of $50 or more. Only the District of Columbia, New Mexico, New York, and the U.S. Virgin Islands assess penalty points for seat belt violations.
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