Seatbelts

The Montana Seatbelt Use Act requires the use of seatbelts by the driver and each occupant of each vehicle. State law also requires child safety restraint systems for children under the age of 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds. A few drivers and passengers are excluded from the law (see Exemptions below), including people unable to use seatbelts due to a medical condition.

At this time, Montana does not have a "primary" seatbelt law. Under primary laws, law enforcement personnel may make traffic stops solely for failure to use a seatbelt.

The penalty for failure to use a seatbelt is $20. The penalty is not counted as a misdemeanor, it may not be counted as a moving violation—for purposes of suspending a driver's license, for example—and it is not counted against a driver's record.

The penalty for failure to use a child safety restraint system is a fine of not more than $100.

Why Buckle Up?
Seatbelts minimize the effects of vehicle crashes on the human body. In most crashes, there are two collisions. The first involves the vehicle striking an object, then buckling and bending until it comes to a stop. The second, the "human collision," is more costly and damaging. When the body strikes a hard surface, it comes to a stop within a very short distance. Because the hard surface has little give, the human body must absorb most of the force of the impact. Properly adjusted and fastened seatbelts distribute the forces of the rapidly decelerating body over a larger area, while stretching to absorb some of the force. In addition, belts hold the body in place while the car crushes and slows down.

Whether a person is belted or not often becomes the difference between life and death. While researchers may differ by a few percentage points either way, figures from seatbelt studies reveal:

• Seatbelts can reduce the number of serious injuries by 50 percent.
• Seatbelts can reduce fatalities by 40 to 60 percent.

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