Drivers and passengers in all vehicles must be buckled up, according to the revised Alabama seatbelt laws.
This is a revision to existing legislation, in which only those in the front seat of a vehicle had to wear a seatbelt. The revision extends to include all passengers and took effect Sept. 1.
This Alabama legislature approved the revisions during their last session. Sen. David Burkette, D-Montgomery, and Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, sponsored the bill, which was brought to the governor’s desk and signed after passing in the House 76 to 17.
Representative Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, urged the passage of the bill on the House floor.
“The Roderic Deshaun Scott Seat Belt Safety Act puts a human face on an issue that’s long overdue to be addressed,” Hatcher said. “This is an important step in strengthening the safety culture in Alabama by requiring seat belt use by back seat passengers.”
Scott was a student-athlete at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery. He was not wearing a seatbelt when he died as a result of a car accident.
“It is my hope that voluntary compliance with this new law will save thousands of lives in the years to come,” Burkette said. “I am saddened that it took such a tragedy to serve as the impetus for passing this law, but honoring Roderic Scott is an appropriate way to preserve the memory of this special young man.”
Further support for amending this bill came from data found by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to this data, rear-seat passengers are three times more likely to die in a car accident if a seatbelt is not worn, and motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 19.
The average usage rate of a seat belt in front seats is about 87%. The data the NHTSA presents said that if the seat belt usage rate for passengers in the back seat matched that of front-seat passengers, there could be up to a 50% reduction in fatalities and injuries.
“The Alabama Legislature is to be commended for amending Alabama’s seat belt law to include rear-seat passengers,” said Tony Harris, Government Relations Manager at the Alabama Department of Transportation. “Sixty percent of the people dying on Alabama’s roadways are not wearing a seatbelt, especially those riding in rear seats. Many crashes are survivable with the use of a seat belt.”
Amending the seat belt law to include rear-seat passengers was a way to plan for the future as ride-hailing apps become more popular, said Drive Safe Coordinator Allison Green.
This law is a secondary violation, so a ticket can only be issued if the driver was pulled over for another reason, said Auburn Police Division Assistant Chief of Police William Matthews.
“Front seat occupants usage and child restraint usage are primary offenses, while back-seat passengers will be evaluated after another primary violation has been observed,” Matthews said. “We work daily to improve the safety of the Auburn community, both on and off of the roadways.”
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