WSB/1/5
Sponsored by Anna Esbenshade, Averly Nielson of Brentwood High School
This legislation was filed in the Transportation category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH LEGISLATURE: |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms in this act shall be defined as follows: |
| 4 | Motor vehicle - Refering to passenger motor vehicles. This is any vehicle designed to transport |
| 5 | passengers - In addition, required by federal law to be equipped with safety belts (reference 55-9- |
| 6 | 601), not including motorcycles, autocycles, etc. (reference 55-1-103). |
| 7 | Seat belt/Safety belt - A belt or strap securing an occupant or operator of a motor vehicle to |
| 8 | prevent bodily injury. |
| 9 | Occupant - A person occupying any area of, but not operating, a motor vehicle. |
| 10 | Operator - The driver of a motor vehicle. |
| 11 | Highway - Any public road. |
| 12 | 55-9-603 Subsection A- |
| 13 | (1) No person shall operate a passenger motor vehicle on any highway, as defined in TCA 55-8- |
| 14 | 101, in this state unless the person and all passengers 4 years of age or older are restrained by a |
| 15 | safety belt at all times the vehicle is in forward motion. |
| 16 | (2) No person 4 years of age or older shall be a passenger in a passenger motor vehicle on any |
| 17 | highway, as defined in 55-8-101, in this state, unless the person is restrained by a safety belt at |
| 18 | all times the vehicle is in forward motion. |
| 19 | 55-9-603 Subsection B- |
| 20 | (1) This section shall apply only to the operator and all passengers occupying the front seat of a |
| 21 | passenger motor vehicle. |
| 22 | (2) If the vehicle is equipped with a rear seat that is capable of folding, this section shall only |
| 23 | apply to front-seat passengers and the operator if the back seat is in the fold-down position. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Section 2: This act requires all occupants and passengers regardless of seating placement or age |
| 26 | to wear a seatbelt or other child restraint system as outlined in 55-9-602. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Section 3: Current Tennessee law (55-9-603 section (b)) states persons aged 18 and older are not |
| 29 | required to wear seat belts in the back seats of motor vehicles (reference law 55-9-603 section i |
| 30 | (2) - for cutoff age). |
| 31 | |
| 32 | Section 4: Subsection (b) of 55-9-603 modifies subsection (a), stating that only the operator and |
| 33 | front seat occupant are required to wear seat belts, including on any highway, except if a |
| 34 | passenger in the backseat is under 18 years old. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | Section 5: Due to the contradictory nature of subsections (a) and (b), this act repeals subsection |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Section 6: Operators who fail to adhere to this law will be fined with a Class C misdemeanor |
| 39 | charge. |
| 40 | |
| 41 | Section 7: Anyone charged with a violation of this law can either make a court appearance or pay |
| 42 | a fine of $30.00 for the first violation or $55.00 for the second violation. This fine will be paid to |
| 43 | the clerk of the court who has jurisdiction over the offense within the county where the offense |
| 44 | was allegedly committed. |
| 45 | |
| 46 | Section 8: This bill is of no cost to Tennessee and will not affect the official Tennessee Budget. |
| 47 | |
| 48 | Section 9: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 49 | |
| 50 | Section 10: This act shall take effect on August 1, 2024, to provide time for both operators and |
| 51 | passengers of motor vehicles to familiarize themselves with the new legislation. |
| 52 |