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The Darien Police Department said that the initiative saves lives by intensifying efforts to enforce seatbelt laws among all motorists.
The current fine for adults who are not wearing a seatbelt is $92. All front seat passengers are required to wear seatbelts. Passengers over 18 who are sitting in the rear seat of a vehicle are not required to wear a seatbelt unless the driver is under 18-years-old. All passengers under 18 are required to wear a seatbelt, even passengers who are sitting in the rear seat of a vehicle; the current seatbelt fine for passengers 16- to 18- years-old is $120, police said.
Connecticut state law also requires that children under the age of one and less than 20 pounds be secured in a rear facing child safety seat, this violation carries a $92 fine. Children from one to seven, and weighing less than 60 pounds are also required to be secured in a child safety seat or booster seat; this violation carries a $92 fine. Children over 7-years-old, weighing more than 60 pounds, can be belted in a regular passenger seat.
The number one cause of death for children and teens in the United States is traffic crashes, police said. Statistics show an average of one fatality every 14 minutes and one injury every 13 seconds due to car crashes. Studies also show that passengers have a 77 percent chance of surviving a fatal car crash if they are properly seat-belted. The current seatbelt usage rate in Connecticut is 88 percent.
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