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Riding in the bed of a pickup truck might be fun for some, but it’s dangerous for everybody. To account for this danger and various other risks, many state and local lawmakers have passed laws making it illegal or restrictive to ride in the bed of a pickup truck. This article contains a breakdown of state law regulating pickup truck bed passengers.
Is It Legal to Ride in the Back of a Pickup Truck?
The answer to this question varies because every state has different laws and even some counties in the same state will have different laws from other counties. Here is a list of the only 19 states that don’t have any laws about riding in the bed of a pickup truck:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa (although local ordinances may prohibit it)
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
In all other states riding in the bed of a pickup truck is illegal.
Exceptions to the Law in States That It Is Illegal to Ride in the Bed of the Truck
Generally speaking, there are a few circumstances in which you can ride in the bed of a pickup truck in one of the 31 states in which it is illegal. Here they are:
- If federally approved seat belts or restraint systems have been installed in the bed to protect riders.
- If the vehicle is being operated solely on family-owned farming land or in a farmer-owned truck.
- If appearing in a parade and the vehicle drives under 10 miles per hour.
- If an emergency requires passengers to ride in the bed of the pickup truck.
Other Laws of Riding in the Bed of a Truck
In most states, there exist some kind of laws or regulations governing the practice of riding in the bed of a pickup truck. Here are some of those laws:
Arizona, District of Columbia (DC), and New Jersey
When in either of these three jurisdictions, only employees of certain businesses may ride in the bed of a pickup truck and only when on-duty and actively performing their workplace duties.
California, Indiana, and New York
In these three states, it is entirely illegal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck for any reason other than those stated in the section of this article referring to possible exceptions.
Colorado
In Colorado, passengers are allowed to sit in the bed of a pickup truck, but only if the bed has a covered cargo area.
Connecticut
Connecticut state law requires passengers under the age of 16 to wear a seatbelt when riding in the bed of a pickup truck. Passengers aged 16 years or older can ride in the back without wearing seat belts.
Florida, Nevada
Florida and Nevada both have laws stating that only passengers aged 18 years or older can ride in the bed of a pickup truck unless the area is fully enclosed, in which case anybody can ride in it.
Furthermore, there are also laws similar to those of Arizona, DC, and New Jersey making it legal for employees on duty to ride in the bed of pickup trucks.
Georgia
In Georgia, anybody over the age of 18 can ride in the bed of a pickup truck. Younger people are allowed to do so as well, but only if the bed of the pickup truck is enclosed.
Hawaii
Passengers in Hawaii can ride in the bed of a pickup truck only if there is no seating available in the cab.
Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico
These three states have minimal laws regarding passengers riding in the bed of pickup trucks. As long as you are 18 years of age or older, you can ride in the bed of a pickup truck.
Louisiana
Louisiana’s only law regarding riding in the bed of pickup trucks pertains to highways. Nobody is allowed to ride in a pickup truck’s bed on interstate highways and nobody under the age of 12 can sit in the bed of a pickup truck on ordinary highways either.
Maine
Maine’s laws on the matter require passengers to be at least 19 years of age to ride in the bed of a pickup truck.
Maryland
In Maryland, you can ride in the bed of a pickup truck if you are 16 years of age or older. Younger passengers are authorized to ride in the bed of a pickup truck only if the following two conditions are met:
- The truck never travels faster than 25 miles per hour.
- The bed of the truck is equipped with adequate safety harnesses.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, anybody can ride in the bed of a pickup truck except for children under the age of 12 years old, who can only ride in the bed of a pickup truck if the vehicle is traveling below 5 miles per hour for a distance of 5 miles or less.
Michigan
In Michigan, only people aged 18 years or older can ride in the bed of a truck unless the vehicle drives fewer than 16 miles per hour.
Missouri
Missouri state law makes it illegal for anybody under the age of 18 years to ride in the bed of a truck when traveling over highways or in urban areas.
North Carolina
Riders aged 16 years or younger are only allowed to sit in the bed of a truck if they have been secured by a seatbelt or supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
Ohio
Ohio’s traffic laws require that passengers under the age of 16 stay in the truck’s cab unless the vehicle is traveling at speeds lower than 25 miles per hour. Furthermore, nobody at all is allowed to sit in the bed of a moving truck unless the tailgate is secured.
Oregon
Oregon state law requires anybody below the age of 18 years old to be secured by a safety belt when riding in the bed of a truck.
Pennsylvania
Under Pennsylvania state law, a truck cannot travel at speeds higher than 35 miles per hour with passengers in the bed of the truck unless they are all aged 18 years or older.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s laws require everybody under the age of 16 in the bed of a pickup truck to be securely fastened with a passenger restraint.
South Carolina
In South Carolina, it is illegal for passengers under the age of 16 to ride in the bed of a pickup truck unless they wear a seatbelt or similar passenger restraint.
Tennessee
Tennessee state law prohibits anyone under the age of 12 years old from riding in the bed of a pickup truck.
Texas
Passengers under the age of 18 can never sit in the bed of a truck unless they are family members of the vehicle’s owner.
Utah
Under Utah state law, it is illegal for anybody to ride in the bed of a pickup truck unless they are doing so for work-related reasons.
Virginia
In Virginia, no one under the age of 16 can sit in the bed of a pickup truck for any reason.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin bans passengers of any age from riding in the bed of a pickup truck unless they have a “valid reason.” Valid reasons include farming, hunting, work, and parades, among other things.
Dangers of Riding in the Back of a Pickup
In the case of a rear-end collision, if passengers are not restrained by safety devices such as seatbelts, they can be thrown from their position and severely injured. Head-on collisions are similarly dangerous due to the likelihood of being ejected from the vehicle.
A lesser known danger is the fact that being near the exhaust of a truck for too long can result in carbon monoxide poisoning. This is less likely to occur in open-bed trucks, however.
