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
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'69 mustang coupe 302cid '97 ranger 4.0L 4X4 for playing in the mud '91 suzuki katana 1100 '87 mitsubishi starion 2.6L turbo
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.
< Message edited by honeygoldcoupe -- 5/7/2008 10:41:53 PM >
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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
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Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
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 and yeah i read that forward thing to i thought that was a little strange
< Message edited by sethalot -- 5/7/2008 10:45:25 PM >
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'69 mustang coupe 302cid '97 ranger 4.0L 4X4 for playing in the mud '91 suzuki katana 1100 '87 mitsubishi starion 2.6L turbo
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!
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+1 on if you don't have a shoulder strap how are you supposed to wear one. 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.
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+1 just say shoulder harnesses are for Women! 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!
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the biggest concern i have with the 65 is the solid steering shaft, nothing else
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Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
'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
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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.
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Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
I'm not sure when shoulder harnesses got DOT approval, but I know for sure it 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.
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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!
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Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
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
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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
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Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
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.
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 feel better 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 !!!!!!!
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seat belt ticket - 
RE: seat belt ticket - 
and yeah i read that forward thing to i thought that was a little strange
. 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.
they should only be secondary and imho only enforceable for a minor!
