Beginning Sunday, Back-Seat Passengers Have To Buckle Up In Illinois
CHICAGO (CBS) – If you drive a car in Illinois and want to carry more than three people in the back seat, better find a bigger one.
That's because beginning Jan. 1, every backseat passenger will be required to buckle up.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports that means you won't be able to cram more than three people in the back seat.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White says the new law makes safety sense.
"If by chance there's a head-on collision, the person in the back of the vehicle can become a human missile," he says.
So who gets the ticket if back-seat passenger isn't belted? The passenger, if he or she is over 16. Otherwise, the driver will be ticketed.
The fine: $25.
Taxi cabs are excluded from the requirement. White says he isn't sure why the legislation was drafted that way.
There's another no-seatbelt exception. Students on school buses still don't have to wear them, either.
The new seatbelt requirement is among several new Illinois laws taking effect over the weekend.
