This is a new segment the Sunshine Coast RCMP is featuring weekly.
Residents can email or Tweet their questions related to the RCMP on the Coast, and each week one question will be answered. Submit questions via email: [email protected] OR via Twitter: @COAST_RCMP.
Question: We all know you have to wear a seat belt in a vehicle, but if police find a passenger without a seat belt, is it the driver or the passenger that gets a ticket?
Answer: You likely already know that the Motor Vehicle Act requires that everyone in a motor vehicle wear seat belts, and must wear the complete assembly (this means that if your seat belt has both an upper and lower portion — as all modern vehicles do — you must wear both portions).
If you are a driver with passengers under 16 years old, it is your responsibility to ensure they have their seat belts on, and therefore you as the driver can get a ticket if your young passengers are not belted in. However, once a person turns 16, the onus is then on them to ensure they wear their seat belt, and they can receive a ticket if they are not wearing it.
There is another common possibility where a driver can be liable. Ever squeeze four people into your back seat when there are only three seat belts? A driver must not permit more passengers in a vehicle than there are seat belts. Consult the Motor Vehicle Act for more details and exceptions.
When police officers stop people for not wearing a seat belt, the argument often is: “I'm not hurting anyone else by not wearing one, it should be my choice if I choose to risk my own safety.” Unfortunately, that's not entirely true.
Let's say you are driving your car through town, when another car pulls out unexpectedly in front of you and you crash into it. Your car comes to a sudden stop, but you do not, because you were not wearing your seat belt. Even though you think you're only hurting yourself, think about those who care for you: think about how your family will feel when a police officer has to go tell them about the serious condition you are in; how your friends will feel sick to their stomachs when they hear the news; how your coworkers will wonder if and when you will return to work.
Regardless of who can get a ticket, if you are the driver or the passenger in a car where someone is not buckled up, consider giving them a friendly reminder.
Not wearing your seat belt can hurt many people other than you. So if a police officer stops you for not wearing your seat belt, understand that it's not because they want to write a ticket, it's because seat belts save lives, and who knows, someday it may save yours.
