What are the penalties for not wearing a seat belt in the passenger seat?
2 Answers
According to the Road Traffic Safety Law, when a motor vehicle is in motion, passengers in the front passenger seat must also wear seat belts. Any passenger who fails to wear a seat belt in the front passenger seat may be fined by the traffic police on duty.
Last year, I was driving with my friend to go shopping when the passenger in the front seat didn’t fasten their seatbelt. As a result, we were pulled over by traffic police on the spot, fined 100 yuan, and had 1 demerit point deducted. It was really embarrassing at the time, and now I’ve developed the habit of reminding passengers to buckle up immediately. In fact, traffic regulations are very clear: if the front passenger doesn’t wear a seatbelt, the driver bears legal responsibility, with fines typically ranging from 50 to 200 yuan and 1 demerit point. This is no trivial matter because in the event of an accident, the risk of severe injury for someone not wearing a seatbelt is extremely high. I’ve seen data showing that seatbelts can reduce the fatality rate by 80%. Law enforcement is strict, especially during urban road checks, and cameras can also capture violations—don’t assume short trips make it unimportant. Developing good habits is the safest way, saving both money and hassle.
