SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — Driving in New York will be a little different from now on. On Sunday, a law went into effect requiring everyone to wear a seat belt in the backseat. Before this, only people under the age of 16 had to wear seatbelts in the back.
New York resident Jeremy Rosenbaum supports the law.
“It’s a pretty mindless thing to do, it doesn’t really affect your ride, especially in the backseat,” Rosenbaum said. “And just like the fact that it could possibly save lives is uh, seems like a net positive to me.”
New York resident Chris Sifre is unsure if this law will cause more people to buckle up.
“People just think they’re like bigger than the law and that they’re like almost invincible and won’t get hurt,” Sifre said. “But they really should, in my opinion, because it could really help them out. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
The driver of the car could be charged $25 to $100 and receive three penalty points on their driver license. The backseat rider could be charged up to $50 if they are not wearing a seat belt.
“I think it’s enough incentive to get some people to wear their seatbelts,” Rosenbaum said. “It probably won’t cause a huge change, but a small change is still a change and could save lives.”
Police say it is too early to report how many people have been pulled over due to the law. About 30 other states have similar laws.
“They don’t put seatbelts there just for show, they put them there so you don’t get hurt in a car crash,” Sifre said.
