Texas Transportation Code 545.413 – Safety Belts; Offense
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(a) A person commits an offense if:
(1) the person:
(A) is at least 15 years of age;
(B) is riding in a passenger vehicle while the vehicle is being operated;
(C) is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety belt; and
(D) is not secured by a safety belt; or
(2) as the operator of a school bus equipped with a safety belt for the operator’s seat, the person is not secured by the safety belt.
Terms Used In Texas Transportation Code 545.413
- Comptroller: means the state comptroller of public accounts. See Texas Government Code 312.011
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- United States: includes a department, bureau, or other agency of the United States of America. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(b) A person commits an offense if the person:
(1) operates a passenger vehicle that is equipped with safety belts; and
(2) allows a child who is younger than 17 years of age and who is not required to be secured in a child passenger safety seat system under § 545.412(a) to ride in the vehicle without requiring the child to be secured by a safety belt, provided the child is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety belt.
(b-1) A person commits an offense if the person allows a child who is younger than 17 years of age and who is not required to be secured in a child passenger safety seat system under § 545.412(a) to ride in a passenger van designed to transport 15 or fewer passengers, including the driver, without securing the child individually by a safety belt, if the child is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety belt.
(c) A passenger vehicle or a seat in a passenger vehicle is considered to be equipped with a safety belt if the vehicle is required under § 547.601 to be equipped with safety belts.
(d) An offense under Subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $25 or more than $50. An offense under Subsection (b) is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 or more than $200.
(e) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that:
(1) the person possesses a written statement from a licensed physician stating that for a medical reason the person should not wear a safety belt;
(2) the person presents to the court, not later than the 10th day after the date of the offense, a statement from a licensed physician stating that for a medical reason the person should not wear a safety belt;
(3) the person is employed by the United States Postal Service and performing a duty for that agency that requires the operator to service postal boxes from a vehicle or that requires frequent entry into and exit from a vehicle;
(4) the person is engaged in the actual delivery of newspapers from a vehicle or is performing newspaper delivery duties that require frequent entry into and exit from a vehicle;
(5) the person is employed by a public or private utility company and is engaged in the reading of meters or performing a similar duty for that company requiring the operator to frequently enter into and exit from a vehicle;
(6) the person is operating a commercial vehicle registered as a farm vehicle under the provisions of § 502.433 that does not have a gross weight, registered weight, or gross weight rating of 48,000 pounds or more; or
(7) the person is the operator of or a passenger in a vehicle used exclusively to transport solid waste and performing duties that require frequent entry into and exit from the vehicle.
(f) The department shall develop and implement an educational program to encourage the wearing of safety belts and to emphasize:
(1) the effectiveness of safety belts and other restraint devices in reducing the risk of harm to passengers in motor vehicles; and
(2) the requirements of this section and the penalty for noncompliance.
(g) Repealed by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 204, Sec. 8.01.
(h) In this section, “passenger vehicle,” “safety belt,” and “secured” have the meanings assigned by § 545.412.
(i) Repealed by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 663 (H.B. 1560), Sec. 5.68(13), eff. June 1, 2023.
(j) Notwithstanding § 542.402(a), a municipality or county, at the end of the municipality’s or county’s fiscal year, shall send to the comptroller an amount equal to 50 percent of the fines collected by the municipality or the county for violations of Subsection (b) of this section. The comptroller shall deposit the amount received to the credit of the tertiary care fund for use by trauma centers.