State officials are raising awareness for a new rear seat belt law that goes into effect later this week.
The new law goes into effect on Friday, Oct. 1, and officials hope it will help save lives, prevent injuries and make Connecticut roads safer for everyone.
Under the new law, signed as "Public Act No. 21-175," will require all occupants of a vehicle, regardless of age, to wear a seat belt. Previously, adult passengers in the back seat were not required to wear a seat belt.
The law as it relates to back seat passengers, however, is subject to secondary enforcement, meaning someone cannot be pulled over for this violation.
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The text of that portion of the law reads, "No law enforcement official may stop a motor vehicle solely for the apparent or actual failure of a back seat passenger who is sixteen years of age or older to wear a seat safety belt."
Officials said tickets will be issued if passengers in the back seat are not wearing seatbelts and the driver is pulled over for any other offense.
According to officials, rear passengers are three times as likely to die in a crash if they are not wearing their seatbelts. With this law being passed, experts said they hope to save more lives.
