Do Rear Passengers Need to Wear Seat Belts?
3 Answers
Sitting in the rear seats of a car requires wearing a seat belt. Article 51 of China's "Road Traffic Safety Law" stipulates that when a motor vehicle is in motion, the driver and passengers must use seat belts as required. Accordingly, during vehicle operation, if the driver or passengers fail to wear seat belts, it constitutes a violation of the law. Not wearing a seat belt in the rear seat not only seriously endangers the safety of the front-seat occupants but also poses risks to oneself. Below are precautions for using seat belts: 1. Regularly check the condition of the seat belt; replace it immediately if damaged. 2. Use correctly. The seat belt should be fastened across the hips and chest, forming a horizontally placed V-shape over the pelvis and ribcage. It should be used by one person only; sharing between two people is strictly prohibited. Do not twist the seat belt when using it. 3. When using the seat belt, avoid placing it over hard or fragile objects, such as mobile phones, glasses, or pens in pockets. 4. When the seat is unoccupied, retract the seat belt into the retractor and place the buckle in its storage position to prevent it from hitting other objects during emergency braking. 5. Do not tilt the seat back too much, as this may reduce effectiveness. Ensure the seat belt buckle is securely fastened to prevent it from coming loose under force and failing to provide protection.
Last week, I took my family on a trip when we suddenly had to brake hard on the highway. My niece in the back seat hit the front seat backrest, but fortunately, she was wearing a seatbelt and was unharmed. Article 51 of the Traffic Law clearly states that all passengers must wear seatbelts, especially those in the back! Car crash tests show that passengers in the back without seatbelts have a three times higher risk of death, and airbags won't save you. In a rollover accident, you could even be thrown out of the window. Now, some cities use traffic cameras to monitor rear seatbelt usage—fines are minor, but safety is major. Even my five-year-old has a child seat in my car. When it comes to safety, there's no room for carelessness.
A few days ago, I helped a friend inspect a used car that had been in an accident. The rear seat belts were stuck in the deformed steel frame of the seats. The experienced mechanic put it bluntly: wearing seat belts in the back isn't just for show—the car's crash protection design relies on seat belts to function properly. Especially for large vehicles like MPVs, during a collision, rear passengers can bounce around like bowling balls inside the cabin, risking anything from whiplash to being thrown through the windshield. Nowadays, brands like Volvo even equip middle seats with three-point seat belts. A reminder: pregnant women should position the lap belt below the belly and the shoulder belt across the center of the chest—don't skip this step for convenience.
