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Seat belt legislation in Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seat belt legislation in Canada is left to the provinces. All provinces in Canada have primary enforcement seat belt laws, which allow a police officer to stop and ticket a driver if they observed a violation. Ontario was the first province to pass a law which required vehicle occupants to wear seat belts, a law that came into effect on January 1, 1976.[1]

The laws by province

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This table contains a brief summary of all seatbelt laws in Canada.[2][3] This list includes only seatbelt laws, which often do not themselves apply to children; however, all provinces and territories have separate child restraint laws. A subsequent offense may be higher.

Province/Territory Date of inception Who is covered Base fine before fees Demerit points assigned Usage[4]
Alberta July 1, 1987 Anyone in driver's seat or passenger seat[5] $162 0 92.0%
British Columbia October 1, 1977 Age 16+ in all seats $167 0 96.9%
Manitoba April 1, 1984 Age 16+ in all seats $299.65 2 93.8%
New Brunswick November 1, 1983 Age 16+ in all seats $172.50 2 94.8%
Newfoundland and Labrador July 1, 1982 Age 16+ in all seats $115 2 93.1%
Northwest Territories July 1, 1988 Age 15+ in all seats

Passenger <15[6]

$150

$200[7]

2 84.9%
Nova Scotia January 1, 1985 Age 16+ in all seats $157.50 2 90.1%
Ontario January 1, 1976 Age 16+ in all seats $240 2 96.0%
Prince Edward Island July 1, 1987 Age 16+ in all seats $110 3 89.7%
Quebec August 15, 1976 Age 16+ in all seats $115–154 3 96.0%
Saskatchewan July 1, 1977 Age 16+ in all seats $165 3 96.8%
Yukon July 1, 1991 Age 15+ in all seats $75 4 78.1%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Seatbelts Saving Lives In Ontario For 35 Years". News.ontario.ca. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  2. ^ Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators Standing Committee on Road Safety Research and Policies: Annual Monitoring Report 2010
  3. ^ "Transport Canada: Statistics and Data". Tc.gc.ca. July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  4. ^ "Results of Transport Canada's Rural and Urban Surveys of Seat Belt Use in Canada 2009-2010". Tc.gc.ca. January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  5. ^ Vehicle Equipment Regulation, Alberta Regulation 122/2009
  6. ^ "Northwest Territories Motor Vehicles Act" (PDF). December 18, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "NWT Summary Conviction Procedures Regulations" (PDF). December 18, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2019.