im a little ticked right now i got pulled over and given a seat belt ticket while wearing my lap belt, the officer said i was required to wear both the lap belt and the shoulder harness, has this happened to any of you?, im going to the appointed court date and would just like some info as to whether im in the right on this or i should just drop it[sm=proof.gif]

Depends on what state you are in. In Illinois I think pre 1974 cars are exempt from the shoulder harness requirement. I have never had any trouble.

Just went and checked. In Illinois cars prior to 1965 is exempt from any seat belt law. All other specify "Safety Seat Belt." To me, that translates to shoulder harness not required.

Interestingly, in Illinois you do not have to wear your "Safety Seat Belt" if you are in reverse.

seat belt= the seat belt

shoulder harness= the shoulder harness

i wouldnt pay it but thats just me, I would rather go sit in court ofr a few mins than pay something like that, if i was you i would remove the shoulder harness [8D]

i live in iowa and was looking it up and it just says that im required to wear a safety harness it doesnt specifically say shoulder harness, im pretty sure it will be dropped but its just annoying to be given tickets like that, just a waste of time and it cut into my cruise time by like an hour[sm=WTFsgign.gif] and yeah i read that forward thing to i thought that was a little strange

I'm guessing this happened while in the 69 coupe. Does it have just the stock lap belts or is there also a 3-point setup installed. If you only have the lap belts well.. how the hell are you supposed to be expected to use something thats not there. However, if you have a 3-point with shoulder strap installed then its more then likely law to use them. Buddy of mine years ago drove a Honda CRX, I think it was, which had automatic shoulder belts that could be unclipped from the door. It slid forward in a track when door was opened and then slid back to the person in the seat when the door closed. He got a number of tickets because he'd wear the lap belt and unclip the shoulder belt. Judge on 2 occasions stated that since they were installed in the car he by law had to use the "complete belt system".

Granted, this was an 80s Honda but I'd say it still applies to the older classics as well. That or lie and say they are not properly installed and are for show only.

Sucks though.. Hope you beat it!

+1 on if you don't have a shoulder strap how are you supposed to wear one:D. I believe if you do have one that some will say it must be worn, but at the same time by wear the lap belt you are technically still wearing a seat belt and are following the law? I also think in most states there is a date rule when it comes to types of safety harnesses.

I love kentucky 1981 and newer only years you can get a no seat belt ticket.I had something like that happen to me once rookie cop pulled me over in the 65 impala i had and got a no seat belt ticket the car never came with them.So went to court the judge laughed at the cop and dismissed the ticket.Id go to court over it if they still make you pay the ticket ask them to define safety harness and your car only came with lap belts and say it would lower your cars value to put shoulder harness on it you know lie to them lol.

+1 just say shoulder harnesses are for Women!:D:D:D Just kidding I wish I actually had them wouldn't want to loose my teeth in the steering wheel just in case something does happen!

the biggest concern i have with the 65 is the solid steering shaft, nothing else

'69 models have a lap belt, and a shoulder harness. Two separate things, it's not just a lap belt or a 3-point system. I don't have a better pic at the moment, but this one works, if you look at the top of the door opening on either side you see the shoulder harness, that latches into a second lap belt system- in the passenger seat is one for the lap belt, if you look on the floor in front of the seat by the shifter you see the second one. I guess technically it is a 3-point system, but it's physically 4 different belts you connect together.

I do not use my shoulder harness for a few reasons, first I do not trust it, seems dangerous to have that old stationary shoulder belt and a big latch held to your chest, not to mention it seems odd to have that secured somewhere up in the roof panel (though I haven't personally seen behind the headliner to see what exactly it is anchored to. Second, I can't by any easy means get the damn things out of the little rubber holders, it's like they're glued in there. And third, as you can clearly see they are quite faded, and probably won't function as designed due to deterioration, it's probably the same for the OP.

Anyway, fight that ticket. When the car was built, they weren't compulsory to wear, in fact it was a pretty new thing for them to be standard equipment. Second, the lap belt will do more good than the shoulder harness. I've never been pulled over for it yet, and if I were that ticket would be fought the whole way. Good luck with it. Worse comes to worse, pay the ticket, then go home and un-mount the shoulder thing, in the event it happens again, it will be obvious that you can't wear them if your car doesn't have them :eek:


local://upfiles/43463/2107202D523A4102ACD027FAD1D399CB.jpg

yeah my brothers 69 cougar was like that and all my 71-73 ive had minus the one vert. the policve look for the hanging shoulder harness, id make sure it completely folded up and hanging from the roof out of view.

I'm not sure when shoulder harnesses got DOT approval, but I know for sureit wasn't by 1968. So if you have a shoulder harness in a 1968 or prior car you can't get a ticket for not wearing it, regardless of whether or not it was installed in the car.

However, it the 1969 shoulder harness was DOT approved, I bet you're SOL.

yeah but i still see them as 2 separate systems would the court see it that way? only one way to find out how much is the ticket? here in ga its only 15$ for a seat belt violation. personally writing seat belt tickets as a primary ticket is bs, just like tint tickets[:'(] they should only be secondary and imho only enforceable for a minor!

most countries in europe handle it like that:
you hve to put on a seatbelt if the car came with one.
If the car came with lap-belt, then you have to wear that.
if the car came without seatbelt (originally), then none are needed (which is kinda mad)

Kalli

i agree safety restraints save lives, but it is insane to suggest that someone can ride a motorcycle in traffic, but to drive a car you need a safety belt. seat belt should come down to personal choice.

as long as it is light outside when ever im stopped i always exit the car(not illegal in ga), then there is no proof either way for a seat belt ticket

A bit off topic but kind of related...
Seat belt laws came about largely from lobbying by the car manufacturers. They were hoping it would delay/eliminate the requirement for air bags, which would increase cost. The seat belt will keep you in the car but won't stop you from hitting the dash or steering wheel. The shoulder harness will keep you in the car and keep you from hitting anything in front of you. In 1980 I met met up with a gravel truck which was backing up on an interstate ramp. My Cutlass was toast and I had bruises on me the exact shape of the seat belt and shoulder harness but other than a little sore, I was OK.

Yeesh, you get out ofyour car here in CA and you're gonna have one pissed off cop pointing a gun/tazer at you

That ticket is BS in my opinion. I know here in Oregon, if your car didn't come from the FACTORY with seat belts you aren't required to put them in and therefore aren't required to wear them. Fortunately I haven't had any trouble with my seat belts yet.

Don't you feelbetter now that your government is telling you how to be safe? They must be smarter than you. You can't drive down the road with no seat belt (full) are you crazy?

shoulder belts were required on all cars built after 01/01/69
i also remember when seat belt use was not reqiured
i also remember when it was a secondary offence
to you younger mfers some day you to will look back and say i remember the good ole days
only problem is the loss of rights is like technology it goes faster every year !!!!!!!

here in iowa its a $25 ticket and a moving violation, three moving violations in three months means loss of license, already got another seatbelt ticket i was leaving work and putting it on as i drove out the parking lot cop saw me pulled me over and gave me the ticket, then a reckless driving ticket prom night for spinning my tires at the dance, the spinning the tires i can understand but the seatbelt one is just bs, and i always have the shoulder belts tied up tight cause i had one fly out the window and smack the side of my car from being swept up by the wind

I remember standing on the front bench between my parents when I was a kid. An old Dodge Aspen, and when it came time for the brake's, my dad would reach his arm across my chest to make sure I didn't fly out the windshield.Well, decades later, I'm stilll alive and kickin.

I definitely wouldn't even think about doing it that with my kids, even if it wasn't illegal! It feels so strange to sit in my 65 and reach for a "regular" shoulder belt, and then realize that its not there.

I didn't read many posts after, but Nabster, the shoulder harness in the 69's are very sturdy and go into a bracket on the roof rail, its not mickey mouse. I wear mine all the time, but have it adjusted loosely so I can check my blind spot and such. However if they really are that faded I can see you might be concerned, but they should be fine as long as the webbing isn't messed up, car restoration places simply restore seat belts by re-dying them.

Everyone that gets in my car and notices the 2 buckels are like wth? haha and they always manage to get it backwards.

good luck fighting the ticket OP

In Michigan if you have a shoulder belt, you have to wear it. You can get a ticket even if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. The law says you have to properly wear it. Not sure what the law says in your state, but in Michigan, if you take this to court, you will lose, have to pay the ticket, and court costs.

I have lived in Montana, Washington state, and now Texas and all the seat belt laws have been pretty much the same...

1) If the car has a factory installed restraint system it must be used. Most judges see this as meaning the ENTIRE system must be used if it is available and functional. My '68 has the same type of system as mentioned above. The lap belt and shoulder harness use two different latches. I was told twice (while being stopped for "other offenses" related to speed...LOL!) that I needed to use the shoulder harness if it worked and was in good condition. I got warnings both times (at least for the seat belt thing). As for saying it is not in good condition and that is why it was not being used, the predictable response is "Then you need to get it fixed" as it is a legal requirement. Interstingly the law applies to air bags as well as seat belts. The only "legal" reason to disable an air bag is to facilitate the use of a child car seat.

2) If the the car does not have a factory installed restraint system...obviously you don't have to use one. HOWEVER...most seat belt laws read that if a restraint system is installed in a vehicle not originally equipped with one, the restraint system must be used. Once the restraint system is installed it is considered the same as if it came from the factory in terms of the law. This also means if you add a restraint system to a car not originally equipped with one it then becomes illeagal to remove or disable it, just as it is illeagal to remove or disable a factory installed system. I'm not sure how this could be enforced unless you got stopped by the same cop, once with the aftermarket system in and once after you had removed it.

ORIGINAL: honeygoldcoupe

Depends on what state you are in. In Illinois I think pre 1974 cars are exempt from the shoulder harness requirement. I have never had any trouble.

Just went and checked. In Illinois cars prior to 1965 is exempt from any seat belt law. All other specify "Safety Seat Belt." To me, that translates to shoulder harness not required.

Interestingly, in Illinois you do not have to wear your "Safety Seat Belt" if you are in reverse.


damn, to bad mines a '65 ... id be except haha

ORIGINAL: pigcop

In Michigan if you have a shoulder belt, you have to wear it. You can get a ticket even if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. The law says you have to properly wear it. Not sure what the law says in your state, but in Michigan, if you take this to court, you will lose, have to pay the ticket, and court costs.


here in iowa the court cost is already added to the ticket regardless whether you go to the hearing or not which i think is bull to

i know my 68 has both. when i was a teenager i had a 69 (god rest her soul) and it had both.

my buddy had a 67 with just a lapbelt and he was constantly getting stopped for not having his belt on (lap belt only)

well not in a mustang, but we had just got my buddys 66 dodge coronet finished and on the road...taking the first official ride in it. it looked good and it was a perfect day for a drive, plus the ladies were out and about , lol. a cop pulled up on us and rouind our day by trying to ticket us for not wearing seatbelts. the car was a 66 and seat belts were an option on mopars then, so it did not have em. he was told to put seatbelts in the car, and the cop left.he never put em in , and ended up sellin it ne ways. but you HAD abelt on, lap or not its stil a seatbelt.

I dont know what state your in, but in california for classics, you only need to have what came from the factory for the vehicle. If the factory did not install belts, belts were not required. Go to court, the officer made a mistake becuase he did not know the law.

i would just like to say thank you to all you guys for your input on the subject the court date is set for the 15th so i will let you know what happened

Good luck on that. Since the shoulder harness was installed but not used your more than likely going to have to pay. Wearing only the lap belt while a shoulder harness is installed is NOT properly using the seat belt system.

ORIGINAL: tncruiser

shoulder belts were required on all cars built after 01/01/69
i also remember when seat belt use was not reqiured
i also remember when it was a secondary offence
to you younger mfers some day you to will look back and say i remember the good ole days
only problem is the loss of rights is like technology it goes faster every year !!!!!!!


Please don't tell me you are one of the elder members who thinks that the days with out having to wear a seat belt were the best because that is total bull****. If people think that their having to wear a seatbelt is such a huge restriction on their ability to enjoy driving then they are are idiots. It's not a loss of rights at all, it's common f-ing sense, those damn little "nuisances" save so many people in wrecks all the time. I'm sorry to be kinda harsh but I was in a serious wreck about a year ago where the car was rolled and the only reason I'm still here is because i had my "annoying" seatbelt on. I broke 4 vertebrae and was in a halo for 2 months and its because i had that thing on I wasn't hurt anymore or thrown out into the trees and killed.

ORIGINAL: vineman

ORIGINAL: tncruiser

shoulder belts were required on all cars built after 01/01/69
i also remember when seat belt use was not reqiured
i also remember when it was a secondary offence
to you younger mfers some day you to will look back and say i remember the good ole days
only problem is the loss of rights is like technology it goes faster every year !!!!!!!


Please don't tell me you are one of the elder members who thinks that the days with out having to wear a seat belt were the best because that is total bull****. If people think that their having to wear a seatbelt is such a huge restriction on their ability to enjoy driving then they are are idiots. It's not a loss of rights at all, it's common f-ing sense, those damn little "nuisances" save so many people in wrecks all the time. I'm sorry to be kinda harsh but I was in a serious wreck about a year ago where the car was rolled and the only reason I'm still here is because i had my "annoying" seatbelt on. I broke 4 vertebrae and was in a halo for 2 months and its because i had that thing on I wasn't hurt anymore or thrown out into the trees and killed.


this really isnt pertaining to the topic at hand, but in my personal opinion auto makers should be required to install safety harnesses in vehicle but their use shouldnt be required by law, now there are various good points for them being required and like wise being your choice but this is not the thread to discuss the matter, i simply posed the question as to whether my particular situation had occured to any other classic mustang owner and would appreciate it if that arguement wasnt taken up here, thank you [sm=imsorry.gif]

ORIGINAL: sethalot

ORIGINAL: vineman

ORIGINAL: tncruiser

shoulder belts were required on all cars built after 01/01/69
i also remember when seat belt use was not reqiured
i also remember when it was a secondary offence
to you younger mfers some day you to will look back and say i remember the good ole days
only problem is the loss of rights is like technology it goes faster every year !!!!!!!


Please don't tell me you are one of the elder members who thinks that the days with out having to wear a seat belt were the best because that is total bull****. If people think that their having to wear a seatbelt is such a huge restriction on their ability to enjoy driving then they are are idiots. It's not a loss of rights at all, it's common f-ing sense, those damn little "nuisances" save so many people in wrecks all the time. I'm sorry to be kinda harsh but I was in a serious wreck about a year ago where the car was rolled and the only reason I'm still here is because i had my "annoying" seatbelt on. I broke 4 vertebrae and was in a halo for 2 months and its because i had that thing on I wasn't hurt anymore or thrown out into the trees and killed.


this really isnt pertaining to the topic at hand, but in my personal opinion auto makers should be required to install safety harnesses in vehicle but their use shouldnt be required by law, now there are various good points for them being required and like wise being your choice but this is not the thread to discuss the matter, i simply posed the question as to whether my particular situation had occured to any other classic mustang owner and would appreciate it if that arguement wasnt taken up here, thank you [sm=imsorry.gif]



Oh of course, I'm not mad at all with you thinking you should have gotten a ticket or not. I just don't like it when people think we're being pushed around by having to wear them, thats all. I'm hopin you dont have too pay much if anything at all on your ticket. I can see how he would give you one if you have the shoulder part equipped in the car. In missouri if it came stock with the shoulder harness then you have to have it on. My 72 has the 2 piece setup so I'll have to remember to use it when I start drivin it around.

thanks i appreciate it[sm=thanx.gif]

Why does the thank you sign have a stripper on it? :D

Why does the thank you sign have a stripper on it?

After a lap dance, the polite thing to do is to say "Thank You!" ;)

LOL:D

todays the big day, right???? RESULTS.

ORIGINAL: silverblue66

Why does the thank you sign have a stripper on it? :D


lol thats great, and my bad the 15th was the deadline for my reckless driving ticket not the seatbelt i will let you guys know once its all said and done with