What is the penalty for not wearing a seatbelt in the passenger seat?
2 Answers
Article 89 of the Road Traffic Safety Law stipulates that passengers not wearing seatbelts will be given a warning or fined accordingly. Pedestrians, passengers, and non-motor vehicle drivers who violate road traffic safety laws and regulations regarding road traffic rules will be given a warning or fined accordingly. Non-motor vehicle drivers who refuse to accept the fine may have their non-motor vehicles impounded.
I just checked the latest traffic regulations, and not wearing a seatbelt in the passenger seat is really not something to take lightly. The enforcement on the roads is particularly strict now. If caught on the spot by traffic police, the driver is directly fined 200 yuan and deducted 2 points—no exceptions. Last time, my friend was driving with his wife when they got fined because the passenger wasn't wearing a seatbelt. What a waste of money, right? In fact, seatbelts can be life-saving in critical moments. If the car brakes suddenly at 40 km/h, an unbelted person can be thrown out like a cannonball. The fine standards are similar across regions, with some cities imposing even stricter penalties. In Shanghai, for example, first-time offenders are required to undergo a 30-minute education session. So now, the first thing I do when getting in the car is to remind everyone to buckle up—don’t risk a ticket or worse just because of a false sense of security.
