Seat Belt Usage

Since 1985, Illinois has had a mandatory seat belt law. However, officers were not permitted to stop a vehicle based solely on this observed violation. On January 1st, 2004, officers were given the right to stop a vehicle for an occupant not wearing a belt. Currently, the seat belt use rate in Illinois is around 71%. With the Illinois population at 12.3 million, that means 3.5 million people are not buckling up. If Illinois were to increase seat belt use to 85%, over 100 lives would be saved each year as a result of traffic crashes.

The Evanston Police Department wants to see an increase in seat belt use, thereby prompting a decrease in injury and death as a result of traffic crashes. It only takes a moment – please buckle-up: “Everyone, Every Trip, Every Time.”

 

Recent Changes in the Illinois Seat Belt Law

There were a number of new amendments to the Child Passenger Protection Act which took effect January 1, 2004. They require anyone who transports children in Illinois in non-commercial vehicles to do so in the following manner:

  • Children under the age of 8 years must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system, also a “child safety seat.” Child safety seats include infant seats, convertible seats (rear-facing for infants and forward-facing for toddlers) and booster seats that are used with the vehicle lap and shoulder belt system.
  • Children weighing more than 40 pounds may be transported in the back seat of a motor vehicle while wearing only a lap belt if the back seat is not equipped with a lap and shoulder belt system for booster seat installation.
    Children and young people 8 years of age to 16 years of age must be secured in a properly adjusted safety belt in any position in the vehicle.
  • The parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 8 years is responsible for providing a child safety seat to anyone who transports his or her child.
  • Every person under the age of 18 years who transports a child 8 years of age (up to 18 years) is responsible for securing that child in a properly fastened or adjusted safety belt or child safety seat.