ALBANY — Backseat passengers, including those riding in taxis, will have to buckle up under a new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Cuomo.
The measure makes it so that anyone over 16 must wear a safety belt, regardless of where they sit in a car, or face a $50 fine.
Previously, only minors under 16 had to buckle up in the back seat, making New York one of only 20 states that didn’t require all passengers to strap in.
“We’ve known for decades that seat belts save lives and with this measure, we are further strengthening our laws and helping to prevent needless tragedies,” Cuomo said in a statement.
In 1984, New York became the first state in the nation to require drivers and all front-seat passengers wear a seat belt, a law enacted under Cuomo’s father Gov. Mario Cuomo.
At the time, about 16% percent of individuals wore seat belts. By 2008, 24 years later, the compliance rate was up to 89%, according to the governor’s office.
The new law, which takes effect Nov. 1, applies to anyone riding in a car, including for-hire vehicles such as taxis, Uber and Lyft.
“The injuries you can sustain from not wearing a seat belt can be deadly, and that’s a fact whether you sit in the front or the back of a vehicle,” said bill sponsor Sen. David Carlucci (D-Rockland) said. “With this bill signed into law, we will help prevent tragedies and save lives in New York.”
According to AAA Northeast, an unbelted rear-seat passenger in a vehicle accident is two times more likely to be killed, eight times more likely to be seriously injured, and two times more likely to kill someone in the front seat by flying forward.
In New York, over the last decade, 289 people have been killed, and 25,596 people have been injured, while riding unbuckled in the back seat of a motor vehicle.
Assemblyman Walter Mosley (D-Brooklyn), who sponsored the bill in his chamber, said experts have proven that “seat belts are a proven way to make our roads safer and lower the number of automobile fatalities.”
“This legislation will go a long way towards achieving that goal and ensuring that all passengers are safe when traveling,” he added.
