Seat Belt Usage

Seat Belt Safety in Illinois

Illinois has had a mandatory seat belt law since 1985, and the law was strengthened in 2003 to allow officers to stop a vehicle solely for a seat belt violation. Since then, observed seat belt usage has risen dramatically. In June 2024, about 92.4% of front‑seat occupants in Illinois were observed wearing seat belts. This represents an increase of more than 76 percentage points since the first usage survey in 1985.

Regular use of safety belts remains the single most effective way to protect vehicle occupants and reduce fatalities and serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes. Seat belts help keep occupants secure inside the vehicle, where other safety systems like airbags can work as designed.

The Evanston Police Department encourages all drivers and passengers to buckle up on every trip, every time. Increasing seat belt use reduces the likelihood of serious injury or death in a crash and helps keep our roadways safer for everyone.

Child Passenger Protection Act

The Child Passenger Protection Act was established to protect the health and safety of children through the proper use of "approved child restraint systems.”  Parents or legal guardians of a child under eight are responsible for providing an approved child safety seat to anyone who transports their child.

The act requires that whenever a person is transporting a child under age 8, the person is responsible for properly securing the child in an appropriate child restraint system, which includes a booster seat. Every person, when transporting a child 8 years of age or older, but under age 16, is responsible for properly securing that child in a seat belt. If the vehicle used to transport children under eight years of age is equipped with lap belts only in the back seat and the child weighs more than 40 pounds, the child may be transported in the back seat wearing a lap belt only. If a combination lap and shoulder belt is available, the child must be secured in a booster seat.