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Each state has its own set of seat belt laws. These laws have been instituted for the safety of you and the citizens around you. However, because each state’s laws are different, you need to be aware of them as you travel across the country.

If you’ve ever gone on a road trip across the country, you’ll know that Texas is one of the largest states you’ll have to deal with. As such, knowing the state’s seat belt laws can come in handy. Keep reading everything you need to know about Texas’s seat belt law.

What is Texas’s Seat Belt Law?

In the state of Texas, every passenger in your vehicle must be buckled up. There are no exceptions given to your passengers in the rear of the vehicle. The law also doesn’t provide any exceptions to your passengers based on age.

If you are pulled over and the people within your car are not buckled up, you may face fines and court costs up to $200. This is only for adults, however. The penalties for children are a bit higher.

When you’re traveling with a child younger than 8 years old, you’ll need to have them in a booster seat or a child safety seat. If they’re taller than 4 feet 9 inches, then they don’t have to be in one of these options. If you’re pulled over with a child in the vehicle that isn’t properly restrained, you may face a fine of up to $250.

Do Adults Need to Wear a Seat Belt in the Backseat?

Some states have different laws regarding adults in the back seat. This allows adults to avoid wearing safety belts when they’re seated in the back. When you’re in Texas, though, you and your adult friends have to be buckled up in any seat in the car.

This is a direct result of the number of cars on the road today. Your safety matters. Data has proven that when you wear a seat belt in the back seat, you’re safer when an accident occurs.

How Old Does A Child Need to Be to Ride in the Front Seat?

Some of us adults have memories of being driven around in the front seat of the car. These memories also play a part in riding around without a seat belt. However, in recent years, things have changed.

In the state of Texas, a child must be at least 13 years old to ride in the front seat. This is also dependent upon height, of course. If a child is less than 4 feet 9 inches, they’ll have to ride in a safety seat in the back, regardless of age.

Additional Rules Regarding Children

The seat belt laws for children are very explicit. There are specific requirements for children of all ages. As such, it’s important for you to know them if you have children, or if you drive them.

In Texas, children under the age of 2 are required to be in the rear seat. They must be in a rear-facing child safety seat.

Between the ages of 2 and 4, children can use forward-facing safety seats. The safety seat must be designed to be used in a forward-facing manner, though.

Of course, the rules for children from 4 to 8 have been listed before. If a child is under 4 feet 9 inches in height, they have to be seated in a booster seat. Then, at the age of 13 they can start sitting in the front seat.

How Much Does a Seat Belt Ticket Cost in Texas?

If you’re in the great state of Texas and you are given a ticket for a seat belt violation amounting from $25 to $250. You may also face some additional court costs. The amount of the ticket depends on a few things, though.

If you’re driving a vehicle, any passenger 18 or older will be liable for their own seat belt ticket. These tickets will range from $25 to $50.

Any passengers that are under the age of 17 without a seat belt will result in higher fines. These fines will range from $100 to $250. The driver will be responsible for paying for these tickets.

The extra costs you may face depend on what part of Texas you’re in, as well as a judge’s ruling. One of the additional costs you could face is a driving course, which is commonly assigned to violators.

Click It or Ticket

This is a phrase that states have adopted all over the country. There’s a good chance that you’ve heard it, or that you’ve seen it posted on road signs. There’s a good reason for that, though.

Texas adopted the slogan as a part of their campaign to get people to buckle up. They’ve been using it ever since, with food results. It’s working so far, and there are some numbers to prove it.

Prior to Texas’s “Click It or Ticket” campaign, only 76% of people said that they buckled up in their cars. Since the campaign went into effect, that number has risen to at least 91%. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s much better.

The biggest claim to enacting seat belt laws is due to their life saving properties. The state of Texas has recorded that 6,234 lives have been saved by seat belts, and that number is only going up. Seat belts have also prevented more than 100,000 serious injuries in motor vehicle accidents.

Using WinIt to Fight a Texas Seat Belt Ticket

In Texas, there are few exceptions when it comes to the seat belt law. Some working positions have exceptions to the seat belt law, like postal workers or garbage disposal workers. However, that’s not to say that you can’t fight a seatbelt ticket in Texas.

If you believe you’ve wrongfully received a seat belt ticket in the state of Texas, be sure to use WinIt to fight the ticket! WinIt is well versed in seat belt law, and we’ll do everything we can to help you with your violation. Don’t hesitate, act today!