Georgia seat belt laws can be found in Georgia Code, § 40-8-76 and § 40-8-76.1. These sections of the law govern the use of car seat belts for adults and children.

Below you can find our quick breakdown of Georgia seat belt laws for all passengers.

What are seat belt laws in Georgia?

1. In the state of Georgia, all front seat passengers must always wear a seat belt.
2. Passengers older than 17 are not required to wear safety belts when seated behind driver.
3. Passengers under the age of 17 must always wear seatbelts regardless of seating position.
4. Children 8 years and older may be seated in front seats. Children under 8 must be in back seats, unless there are no back seats available.
5. All children under 8 must be appropriately restrained in child safety seats or booster seats depending on age, height and weight.
6. Children under 8 years old but over 4’9″ tall may wear a normal seat belt.

Other seat belt regulations:

• In vehicles not equipped with both lap and shoulder belts, a lap belt can be used to restrain children weighing at least 40 pounds.
• Georgia allows medical exemptions from seat belt laws. For this you must obtain a written statement from a licensed physician stating medical reasons why person is unable to wear a safety belt.
• Persons under 18 years old are not allowed to ride in open bed of pickup trucks or trailers.

Georgia seat belt laws sources and references:

1. Georgia Code, Title 40: Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 8: Equipment and Inspection of Motor Vehicles, Article 1: Equipment Generally, Part 4: Safety Belts:
   1. § 40-8-76 – Safety belts required as equipment; safety restraints for children
   2. § 40-8-76.1 – Use of safety belts in passenger vehicles
2. Georgia Department of Law, Consumer Protection Unit – Child Car Seats

Additionally see our article about Child Passenger Safety Seat Laws for more information on requirements, regulations and penalties for child restraint systems.

Penalties

How much is a ticket for seat belt in Georgia? Not wearing a safety belt in Georgia results in a $15 fine for adults or $25 for unbelted minors. Driver will pay a fine for each improperly restrained minor.

The fines above are only for first time violators, and subsequent offenses may have increased fines and penalties.

If a child younger than 8 years of age is not properly restrained, the fine is $50 for the first offense and $100 for second. Driver will receive 1 point against their driver’s license record for each inappropriately restrained child.

Young people or children under 18 driving in open-bed of a pickup truck are also in violation of Georgia safety seat laws, and driver may be charged with a misdemeanor.

In Georgia not wearing a seat belt is considered a primary offense. This means police officers can pull you over and issue a ticket even if they haven’t observed any other offense.

Do you need seat belts or safety restraints?

• Wearing a seat belt increases your chance of surviving a car crash by 45%.
• Child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for babies and 54% for toddlers.
• Children in booster seats are 59% less likely to be injured in a car accident.

Not being properly restrained is undoubtedly dangerous. For the safety of yourself and your passengers, buckle up!