As of November 1, 2020, New York State’s new Backseat Passenger Seatbelt Law is in effect. This means all back seat passengers, regardless of age, need to be buckled up in the back seat of all vehicles. This applies to all vehicles, including taxis and car services such as Uber and Lyft.
Before this law, only children ages 16 or younger riding in the back seat were required to be belted in or, depending on their age, in a car seat or booster seat.
A Law Created to Prevent Injury and Death
Even though New York has a high rate of seatbelt use, 37 percent of motor vehicle deaths were among passengers who were unrestrained. Rear seat passengers are three times more likely to die in a crash if they’re not belted in.
Penalties for not wearing a seatbelt in the back seat include fines and up to three driver’s license penalty points for each violation.