Who doesn’t have to buckle up behind the wheel in Virginia?

After an officer pulled you over for speeding on Rte. 60, he issued you two tickets: one for speeding and the other for your 16-year-old daughter who was riding in the front passenger seat without a belt. Although you know the importance of wearing the safety gear, you didn’t think to check that your daughter was buckled up. Now you’re facing fines.

Who Isn’t Required to Wear a Seat Belt?

This has left you wondering: is every driver required to wear a seatbelt in Virginia? As a driver, are you responsible for your passengers buckling up?  Virginia law says that, while you are liable for underage passengers who are not wearing seatbelts, passengers over age 17 are responsible for themselves and could be ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt. While it is always safer to be bucked up, the truth is, not every driver is required to wear a seatbelt. Some exceptions to the law are:

• People with medical reasons aren’t obliged to buckle up. Those for whom a licensed physician determines that they are medically incapable of wearing seatbelts are pardoned from doing so.
• Law-enforcement officers. When law enforcement officers are transporting people in custody or are traveling in circumstances in which wearing a safety belt is impractical, they aren’t required to buckle up.
• Certain professional deliverers. Those who are actively delivering mail for the United States Postal Service and those who are performing duties as newspaper route carriers, newspaper bundle haulers, or newspaper rack carriers are exempt from wearing seat belts.
• Other drivers and passengers. Taxi cab drivers and passengers, along with certain personnel of public works, don’t have to wear seatbelts when driving or being transported in such vehicles.

Do You Need Help With an Alleged Driving Infraction?

If you’ve been wrongly accused of driving without wearing a seatbelt or are facing another driving infraction, the legal team of Tavss Fletcher may be able to help.  Contact us today to speak with an experienced attorney about your situation and find out if we can help.