Chapter 14 MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC*
Section 14-183 Safety belts required for passenger cars.
(a) As used in this section, the term "passenger car"
means every motor vehicle designed for
carrying ten persons or less and used for the transportation of persons; except that, the term
"passenger car" shall not include motorcycles, motorized bicycles, motor tricycles and trucks
with a licensed gross weight of twelve thousand pounds or more.
(b) Each driver, except persons employed by the United
States Postal Service while
performing duties for that federal agency which require the operator to service postal boxes from
their vehicles, or which require frequent entry into and exit from their vehicles, and front seat
passengers of a passenger car manufactured after January 1, 1968, operated on a street or
highway in this city, and persons less than eighteen (18) years of age operating or riding in a
truck, as defined in RSMo § 301.010, on a street or highway of this city shall wear a properly
adjusted and fastened safety belt that meets federal National Highway, Transportation and Safety
Act requirements.
(c) No person shall be stopped, inspected, or detained solely
to determine compliance with this
section.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not be applicable
to person
s
who
have
a medical
reason for failing to
have a seat
belt
fastened about their body,
nor shall the provisions of this
section be applicable to persons while operating or riding a motor vehicle being used in
agricultural work-related activities. Noncompliance with this section shall not constitute probable
cause for violation of any other provision of law.
(e) The provisions of subsections (b), (c) and (d) shall not apply to the transporting
of
children under sixteen (16) years of age, as provided in section 14-184.
(
f
) If there are more persons than there are seat belts in the enclosed area of
a motor vehicle
then the
passengers who are unable to wear seat belts shall sit in the area behind the front seat of
the motor vehicle unless the motor vehicle is designed only for a
front-seated area. The passenger or passengers occupying a seat location referred to in this
subsection is not in violation of this section. This subsection shall not apply to passengers
who
are accompanying a driver of a motor vehicle who is licensed under section 302.178, RSMo.
(intermediate driver’s license)
.
(
g
)
Except as otherwise provided for in section 14-184, e
ach person who violates the
provisions of subsection (b) of this section
is
guilty of an infraction,
for which
a fine not to
exceed ten dollars ($10.00)
may be imposed
. All other provisions of law and court rules to the
contrary notwithstanding, no court costs shall be imposed on any person due to a violation of this
section.
(Ord. No. 11615, § 1, 9-8-87; Ord. No. 15735, § 1, 9-8-98; Ord. No.
19322, § 1, 12-4-06)
(Ord. 19322, Amended, 12/04/2006, Prior Text; Ord. 15735, Amended, 09/08/1998, Prior Text)