2023 New York Laws › VAT - Vehicle and Traffic › Title 3 - Safety Responsibility; Financial Security; Equipment; Inspection; Size and Weight; and Other Provisions › Article 9 - Equipment of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles › 383 - Safety Belts and Anchorage Assemblies.

§ 383. Safety   belts   and  anchorage  assemblies.  1.  Safety  belts
required.  No motor vehicle shall be sold or registered  in  this  state
and  no motor vehicle registered in this state shall be operated in this
state unless such vehicle is equipped with safety belts approved by  and
conforming to standards established by the commissioner as follows:
(a)  A  motor  vehicle manufactured or assembled after June thirtieth,
nineteen hundred sixty-four and designated as a 1965 or later model,  at
least two safety belts for the front seat;
(b)  A  motor  vehicle manufactured or assembled after June thirtieth,
nineteen hundred sixty-six and designated as a 1967 or later  model,  at
least one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the
rear seat of such vehicle was designed;
* (c)  A  motor  vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January
first, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt  for  each
passenger seat position;
* NB  Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in
writing that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York  state  ineligible
for  the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction
finally determines that said chapter would render New York state out  of
compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)
* (c)  A  motor  vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January
first, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt  for  each
passenger seat position.
* NB Effective upon repeal (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)
* (d)  An  altered  motor  vehicle  commonly referred to as a "stretch
limousine" which was altered on or after  January  first,  two  thousand
twenty-one,  at  least two safety belts for the front seat, and at least
one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the  rear
seat of such vehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each
passenger seat position.
* NB  Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in
writing that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York  state  ineligible
for  the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction
finally determines that said chapter would render New York state out  of
compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)
* 1-a.  No  altered  motor  vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch
limousine" which was  altered  prior  to  January  first,  two  thousand
twenty-one shall be sold or registered in this state and no such altered
motor  vehicle  altered  prior to January first, two thousand twenty-one
registered in this state shall be operated in  this  state  unless  such
vehicle  is  retrofitted  and equipped with safety belts approved by and
conforming to standards established by the commissioner as  follows:  at
least  two safety belts for the front seat, and at least one safety belt
for the rear seat for each passenger for which the  rear  seat  of  such
vehicle  was  designed,  and at least one safety belt for each passenger
seat position.
* NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines  in
writing  that  chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible
for the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent  jurisdiction
finally  determines that said chapter would render New York state out of
compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)
2. Anchorage assemblies. No motor vehicle shall be sold or  registered
in  this  state  unless  such motor vehicle is equipped with safety belt
assembly  anchorages  conforming  to  standards   established   by   the
commissioner  for  each  safety  belt required in such motor vehicle. In
addition,  no  motor  vehicle  manufactured  or  assembled  after   June
thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred  sixty-two  shall be sold or registered in
this state unless such  motor  vehicle  is  equipped  with  safety  belt

assembly   anchorages   conforming   to  standards  established  by  the
commissioner for two safety belts for the front seat of such vehicle.
3.  Sale  of  safety  belts. No safety belt shall be sold for use in a
motor vehicle, or installed in a motor vehicle unless such  safety  belt
is   approved   by,   and  conforms  to  standards  established  by  the
commissioner.
4. Safety belts required in certain used motor  vehicles.  No  person,
firm,  association  or corporation engaged in the business of selling or
leasing used motor vehicles, shall sell or lease any used motor  vehicle
manufactured   or  assembled  after  June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred
sixty-two and designated as a 1963 or subsequent year model unless  such
motor  vehicle  is  equipped with two safety belts for the front seat of
such motor vehicle. This provision shall not  apply  to  motor  vehicles
sold at wholesale or for junk.
4-a.   Driver   seat   safety   belts   for  certain  motor  vehicles.
Notwithstanding any other  provisions  of  this  chapter,  it  shall  be
unlawful  for  the owner of a bus as defined in section one hundred four
of this chapter and manufactured on or  after  January  first,  nineteen
hundred   sixty-five  or  a  motor  vehicle  used  for  the  purpose  of
transporting children to and from public or private  schools  to  permit
such  vehicle  to  be  used for such purpose unless the driver's seat on
such vehicle is  equipped  with  a  seat  safety  belt  of  a  type  and
specifications  as  approved  by the commissioner of motor vehicles. Any
owner who permits a motor vehicle to be  operated  without  such  safety
belt  or  any  person who operates a motor vehicle and fails to use such
safety belt shall be in violation of the provisions of this  subdivision
and shall be guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine not exceeding
fifty dollars.
* 4-b.  Taxicabs,  liveries,  and  stretch limousines. All seat safety
belts installed in a taxicab or livery vehicle or in  an  altered  motor
vehicle  commonly  referred to as a "stretch limousine" pursuant to this
section shall be clearly visible,  accessible  and  maintained  in  good
working  order,  and  no  seat  safety belt installed in such taxicab or
livery vehicle or altered motor vehicle shall be removed therefrom.
* NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines  in
writing  that  chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible
for the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent  jurisdiction
finally  determines that said chapter would render New York state out of
compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)
* 4-b. Taxicabs and liveries. All seat safety  belts  installed  in  a
taxicab  or  livery  vehicle  pursuant  to this section shall be clearly
visible, accessible and maintained in good working order,  and  no  seat
safety belt installed in such taxicab or livery vehicle shall be removed
therefrom.
* NB Effective upon repeal (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)
5. (a) Passenger seat safety belts for school buses. Every school bus,
as   defined   in   section  one  hundred  forty-two  of  this  chapter,
manufactured for use in this state on and  after  July  first,  nineteen
hundred  eighty-seven,  shall be designed so that all passenger seats on
such vehicle are equipped with seat safety belts and increased seat back
padding on passenger seats of a type and specification  as  approved  by
the  commissioner  of  transportation  through the adoption of rules and
regulations. Such rules and regulations  shall  provide  that  when  any
contactable surface of the school bus, as specified in the Federal Motor
Vehicle  Safety  Standard,  49 CFR Section 571.222, is impacted from any
direction at twenty-two feet per second by  the  head  form,  the  axial
acceleration  at  the  center  of gravity of the head form shall be such
that the head form impact requirement shall not exceed eight hundred.
(b) Passenger seat safety belts for existing school buses. Any  school
bus  as  defined in section one hundred forty-two of this chapter, which
is scheduled for retrofitting pursuant to action by a board of education
or board of trustees under section thirty-six hundred  thirty-five-a  of
the  education  law  shall be retrofitted so that all passenger seats on
such vehicles are equipped with seat safety belts and additional padding
of  a  type  and  specification  as  approved  by  the  commissioner  of
transportation through the adoption of rules and regulations. Such rules
and  regulations  shall provide that when any contactable surface of the
school bus as specified in the Federal Motor  Vehicle  Safety  Standard,
49CFR  Section 571.222 is impacted from any direction at twenty-two feet
per second by the head form, the axial acceleration  at  the  center  of
gravity  of  the  head  form  shall  be  such  that the head form impact
requirement  shall  not   exceed   eight   hundred.   Furthermore,   the
commissioner  shall  have  the  power  through  rules and regulations to
exempt certain design school buses from retrofitting. In  granting  such
exemptions,  the  commissioner shall consider safety factors, structural
integrity of the school buses and any other items  deemed  necessary  to
preserve  the  safety and welfare of the school bus passengers. Provided
further however  that  the  commissioner  of  transportation  shall  not
authorize  retrofitting  of  any  school bus manufactured prior to April
first, nineteen hundred seventy-seven.
6.  Regulations.  The  Commissioner  shall  establish  by   regulation
standards  for  safety  belts, safety belt anchorage assemblies, and the
installation of safety belts in motor  vehicles.  The  commissioner  may
also  by  regulation  exclude  certain  motor vehicles or types of motor
vehicles from the requirements of this  section.  The  commissioner  may
prescribe the method of securing approval of safety belts.