Seat Belts
MCL 257.710e — who has to wear one, and who does not
Each driver and front seat passenger of a motor vehicle on a street or highway has to wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt. A child under 13 has to be protected as another section requires, and the driver has to secure a child from 13 to under 16 in a belt, with limited exceptions when there are more children than belts.
The section does not apply to:
- A vehicle made before January 1, 1965, and one that federal law does not require to have belts.
- A bus, a motorcycle or a moped, and a passenger on a school bus.
- A driver or passenger with a physician's written verification that they cannot wear a belt for physical or medical reasons.
- A delivery vehicle making frequent stops, and a rural postal carrier on the route.
A civil infraction, and no points. Not wearing a belt is a civil infraction, and no points are assessed for it. The section makes enforcement a secondary action, only after a stop for something else, if the state office of highway safety planning certifies compliance below 80% for the preceding year.
In a lawsuit arising from a crash, not wearing a belt may be considered evidence of negligence and may reduce the recovery for damages, but by not more than 5%.
The amount of the civil fine is set in another section and is not covered here.
Sources for this section (1)
- MCL 257.710e — Safety belts
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Michigan attorney.