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Terms Used In Maryland Code, TRANSPORTATION 22-412.4

  • County: means a county of the State or Baltimore City. See
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: includes an individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative, fiduciary, representative of any kind, corporation, partnership, business trust, statutory trust, limited liability company, firm, association, or other nongovernmental entity. See
  • state: means :

    (1) a state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States; or

    (2) the District of Columbia. See
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

(2) “Seat belt” means a restraining device described under § 22-412 of this subtitle.

(3) “Vehicle” means an emergency vehicle purchased or leased by the State, a county, municipality, or volunteer fire department or rescue squad and operated by a:

(i) State, county, or municipal fire department;

(ii) Volunteer fire department; or

(iii) Rescue squad.

(b) A vehicle registered in the State and manufactured and assembled after January 1, 1990 shall be equipped with a seat belt or safety restraining device approved by the local authority having jurisdiction for each position on the vehicle that may be lawfully occupied by a passenger.

(c) (1) The failure of a person to use a seat belt or restraining device required under this section may not:

(i) Be considered evidence of negligence;

(ii) Be considered evidence of contributory negligence;

(iii) Limit liability of a party or an insurer;

(iv) Diminish recovery for damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or operation of a motor vehicle; or

(v) Be considered a moving violation for purposes of § 16-402 of this article.

(2) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (3) of this subsection, a party, witness, or counsel may not make reference to a seat belt during a trial of a civil action that involves property damage, personal injury, or death if the damage, injury, or death is not related to the design, manufacture, installation, supplying, or repair of a seat belt required under this section.

(3) (i) Nothing contained in this subsection may be construed to prohibit the right of a person to institute a civil action for damages against a dealer, manufacturer, distributor, factory branch, or other appropriate entity arising out of an incident that involves a defectively installed or defectively operating seat belt.

(ii) In a civil action in which 2 or more parties are named as joint tort-feasors, interpleaded as defendants, or impleaded as defendants, and 1 of the joint tort-feasors or defendants is not involved in the design, manufacture, installation, supplying, or repair of a seat belt, a court shall order separate trials to accomplish the ends of justice on a motion of any party.