§ 383 — Safety belts and anchorage assemblies

New York § 383

• Jurisdiction: New York
• Law VAT: Vehicle & Traffic
• Title 3: Safety Responsibility; Financial Security; Equipment; Inspection; Size and Weight; and Other Provisions
• Art. 9: Equipment of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles

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§ 383. Safety belts and anchorage assemblies. 1. Safety belts\nrequired. No motor vehicle shall be sold or registered in this state\nand no motor vehicle registered in this state shall be operated in this\nstate unless such vehicle is equipped with safety belts approved by and\nconforming to standards established by the commissioner as follows:\n (a) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after June thirtieth,\nnineteen hundred sixty-four and designated as a 1965 or later model, at\nleast two safety belts for the front seat;\n (b) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after June thirtieth,\nnineteen hundred sixty-six and designated as a 1967 or later model, at\nleast one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the\nrear seat of such vehicle was designed;\n * (c) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January\nfirst, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt for each\npassenger seat position;\n * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in\nwriting that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible\nfor the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction\nfinally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of\ncompliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)\n * (c) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January\nfirst, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt for each\npassenger seat position.\n * NB Effective upon repeal (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)\n * (d) An altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch\nlimousine" which was altered on or after January first, two thousand\ntwenty-one, at least two safety belts for the front seat, and at least\none safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear\nseat of such vehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each\npassenger seat position.\n * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in\nwriting that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible\nfor the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction\nfinally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of\ncompliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)\n * 1-a. No altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch\nlimousine" which was altered prior to January first, two thousand\ntwenty-one shall be sold or registered in this state and no such altered\nmotor vehicle altered prior to January first, two thousand twenty-one\nregistered in this state shall be operated in this state unless such\nvehicle is retrofitted and equipped with safety belts approved by and\nconforming to standards established by the commissioner as follows: at\nleast two safety belts for the front seat, and at least one safety belt\nfor the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat of such\nvehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each passenger\nseat position.\n * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in\nwriting that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible\nfor the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction\nfinally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of\ncompliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)\n 2. Anchorage assemblies. No motor vehicle shall be sold or registered\nin this state unless such motor vehicle is equipped with safety belt\nassembly anchorages conforming to standards established by the\ncommissioner for each safety belt required in such motor vehicle. In\naddition, no motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after June\nthirtieth, nineteen hundred sixty-two shall be sold or registered in\nthis state unless such motor vehicle is equipped with safety belt\nassembly anchorages conforming to standards established by the\ncommissioner for two safety belts for the front seat of such vehicle.\n 3. Sale of safety belts. No safety belt shall be sold for use in a\nmotor vehicle, or installed in a motor vehicle unless such safety belt\nis approved by, and conforms to standards established by the\ncommissioner.\n 4. Safety belts required in certain used motor vehicles. No person,\nfirm, association or corporation engaged in the business of selling or\nleasing used motor vehicles, shall sell or lease any used motor vehicle\nmanufactured or assembled after June thirtieth, nineteen hundred\nsixty-two and designated as a 1963 or subsequent year model unless such\nmotor vehicle is equipped with two safety belts for the front seat of\nsuch motor vehicle. This provision shall not apply to motor vehicles\nsold at wholesale or for junk.\n 4-a. Driver seat safety belts for certain motor vehicles.\nNotwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, it shall be\nunlawful for the owner of a bus as defined in section one hundred four\nof this chapter and manufactured on or after January first, nineteen\nhundred sixty-five or a motor vehicle used for the purpose of\ntransporting children to and from public or private schools to permit\nsuch vehicle to be used for such purpose unless the driver's seat on\nsuch vehicle is equipped with a seat safety belt of a type and\nspecifications as approved by the commissioner of motor vehicles. Any\nowner who permits a motor vehicle to be operated without such safety\nbelt or any person who operates a motor vehicle and fails to use such\nsafety belt shall be in violation of the provisions of this subdivision\nand shall be guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine not exceeding\nfifty dollars.\n * 4-b. Taxicabs, liveries, and stretch limousines. All seat safety\nbelts installed in a taxicab or livery vehicle or in an altered motor\nvehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" pursuant to this\nsection shall be clearly visible, accessible and maintained in good\nworking order, and no seat safety belt installed in such taxicab or\nlivery vehicle or altered motor vehicle shall be removed therefrom.\n * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in\nwriting that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible\nfor the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction\nfinally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of\ncompliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)\n * 4-b. Taxicabs and liveries. All seat safety belts installed in a\ntaxicab or livery vehicle pursuant to this section shall be clearly\nvisible, accessible and maintained in good working order, and no seat\nsafety belt installed in such taxicab or livery vehicle shall be removed\ntherefrom.\n * NB Effective upon repeal (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)\n 5. (a) Passenger seat safety belts for school buses. Every school bus,\nas defined in section one hundred forty-two of this chapter,\nmanufactured for use in this state on and after July first, nineteen\nhundred eighty-seven, shall be designed so that all passenger seats on\nsuch vehicle are equipped with seat safety belts and increased seat back\npadding on passenger seats of a type and specification as approved by\nthe commissioner of transportation through the adoption of rules and\nregulations. Such rules and regulations shall provide that when any\ncontactable surface of the school bus, as specified in the Federal Motor\nVehicle Safety Standard, 49 CFR Section 571.222, is impacted from any\ndirection at twenty-two feet per second by the head form, the axial\nacceleration at the center of gravity of the head form shall be such\nthat the head form impact requirement shall not exceed eight hundred.\n (b) Passenger seat safety belts for existing school buses. Any school\nbus as defined in section one hundred forty-two of this chapter, which\nis scheduled for retrofitting pursuant to action by a board of education\nor board of trustees under section thirty-six hundred thirty-five-a of\nthe education law shall be retrofitted so that all passenger seats on\nsuch vehicles are equipped with seat safety belts and additional padding\nof a type and specification as approved by the commissioner of\ntransportation through the adoption of rules and regulations. Such rules\nand regulations shall provide that when any contactable surface of the\nschool bus as specified in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard,\n49CFR Section 571.222 is impacted from any direction at twenty-two feet\nper second by the head form, the axial acceleration at the center of\ngravity of the head form shall be such that the head form impact\nrequirement shall not exceed eight hundred. Furthermore, the\ncommissioner shall have the power through rules and regulations to\nexempt certain design school buses from retrofitting. In granting such\nexemptions, the commissioner shall consider safety factors, structural\nintegrity of the school buses and any other items deemed necessary to\npreserve the safety and welfare of the school bus passengers. Provided\nfurther however that the commissioner of transportation shall not\nauthorize retrofitting of any school bus manufactured prior to April\nfirst, nineteen hundred seventy-seven.\n 6. Regulations. The Commissioner shall establish by regulation\nstandards for safety belts, safety belt anchorage assemblies, and the\ninstallation of safety belts in motor vehicles. The commissioner may\nalso by regulation exclude certain motor vehicles or types of motor\nvehicles from the requirements of this section. The commissioner may\nprescribe the method of securing approval of safety belts.\n