TRAFFIC SAFETY FOCUS
May 2008:

§ 545.413.  SAFETY BELTS.

(a)  A person commits an offense if:
            (1)  the person:
                        (A)  is at least 15 years of age;
                        (B)  is riding in the front seat of 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.

(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 Section 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.

(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 Section 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;  or
            (6)  The person is operating a commercial vehicle registered as a farm vehicle under the provisions of Section 502.163 that does not have a gross weight, registered weight, or gross weight rating of 48,000 pounds or more.

(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, § 8.01.

(h)  In this section, "passenger vehicle," "safety belt," and "secured" have the meanings assigned by Section 545.412.

(i)  A judge, acting under Article 45.0511, Code of Criminal Procedure, who elects to defer further proceedings and to place a defendant accused of a violation of Subsection (b) on probation under that article, in lieu of requiring the defendant to complete a driving safety course approved by the Texas Education Agency, shall  require the defendant to attend and present proof that the  defendant has successfully completed a specialized driving safety course approved by the Texas Education Agency under the Texas Driver and Traffic Safety Education Act (Article 4413(29c), Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) that includes four hours of instruction that encourages the use of child passenger safety seat systems and the wearing of seat belts and emphasizes:
            (1)  the effectiveness of child passenger safety seat systems and seat belts in reducing the harm to children being transported in motor vehicles;  and
            (2)  the requirements of this section and the penalty for noncompliance.

(j)  Notwithstanding Section 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

§ 545.412.  CHILD PASSENGER
SAFETY SEAT SYSTEMS.

(a)  A person commits an offense if the person operates a passenger vehicle, transports a child who is younger than five years of age and less than 36 inches in height, and does not keep the child secured during the operation of the vehicle in a child passenger safety seat system according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system.

(b)  An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 or more than $200.

(c)  It is a defense to prosecution under this section that theperson was operating the vehicle in an emergency or for a law enforcement purpose.

(d)  Repealed by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 204, § 8.01.

(e)  This section does not apply to a person:
            (1)  operating a vehicle transporting passengers for hire, including third-party transport service providers when transporting clients pursuant to a contract to provide nonemergency Medicaid transportation; or
            (2)  transporting a child in a vehicle in which all seating positions equipped with child passenger safety seat systems or safety belts are occupied.

(f)  In this section:
            (1) "Child passenger safety seat system" means an infant or child passenger restraint system that meets the federal standards for crash-tested restraint systems as set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
            (2) "Passenger vehicle" means a passenger car, light truck, sport utility vehicle, truck, or truck tractor.
            (3) "Safety belt" means a lap belt and any shoulder straps included as original equipment on or added to a vehicle.
            (4) "Secured," in connection with use of a safety belt, means using the lap belt and any shoulder straps according to the instructions of:
                        (A)  the manufacturer of the vehicle, if the safety belt is original equipment;  or
                        (B)  the manufacturer of the safety belt, if the safety belt has been added to the vehicle.

(g) A judge, acting under Article 45.0511, Code of Criminal Procedure, who elects to defer further proceedings and to place a defendant accused of a violation of this section on probation under that article, in lieu of requiring the defendant to complete a driving safety course approved by the Texas Education Agency, shall require the defendant to attend and present proof that the defendant has successfully completed a specialized driving safety course approved by the Texas Education Agency under the Texas Driver and Traffic Safety Education Act (Article 4413(29c), Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes) that includes four hours of  instruction that encourages the use of child passenger safety seat systems and the wearing of seat belts and emphasizes:
            (1)  the effectiveness of child passenger safety seat systems and seat belts in reducing the harm to children being transported in motor vehicles;  and
            (2)  the requirements of this section and the penalty for noncompliance

(h)  Notwithstanding Section 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 this section.  The comptroller shall deposit the amount received to the credit of the tertiary care fund for use by trauma centers.

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