<P> In the United States, seat belt legislation varies by state . The state of Wisconsin introduced legislation in 1961 requiring seat belts to be fitted to the front outboard seat positions of cars . Seat belts have been mandatory equipment since the 1968 model year per Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 . </P> <P> New York State passed the first law in the US mandating the use of seat belts in 1984 under the leadership of John D. States, an orthopedic surgeon who dedicated his career to improving automotive safety . Depending on which state a driver is in, not wearing a seat belt in the front seat is either a primary offense or a secondary offense, with the exception of New Hampshire, which does not have a law requiring people over age 18 to wear a seat belt . In the front seat, the driver and each passenger must wear a seat belt, one person per belt . In some states, such as New York, New Hampshire, and Michigan, belts in the rear seats are not mandatory for people over the age of 16, though it is extremely advised . The driver and front - seat passengers aged 16 or older can be fined up to $50 each for failure to buckle up . In California, you must be 15 years or older to accompany the driver in the front seat . Children 14 and younger must sit in the rear seat until they reach the age of 15. Template: DMV.org </P> <P> A primary offense means that a police officer can pull a driver over for the seat belt law violation alone, and secondary offense indicates that one can be punished for a seat belt law violation only if they are already pulled over for another reason . By January 2007 25 states and the District of Columbia had primary seat belt laws, 24 had secondary seat belt laws, and New Hampshire had no laws . In 2009, Public Health Law Research published several evidence briefs summarizing the research assessing the effect of a specific law or policy on public health . One stated, "Safety belt laws work, but there is strong evidence to support that primary enforcement safety belt laws are more effective than secondary enforcement laws in increasing seat belt use and reducing crash injuries ." </P> <P> Another found that "there is strong evidence that enhanced seat belt enforcement interventions can substantially increase seat belt use and its associated benefits ." </P>

When did the wearing of seat belts become a law
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