Should Wyoming Law Allow Cops To Stop People For No Seat Belt?
While Wyoming law currently requires motorists and passengers to wear seat belts while traveling in a car, people can't be ticketed for lack of seat belt use unless the vehicle is stopped for another violation first.
That means you can't be stopped and ticketed simply because a police officer notices you aren't wearing a seat belt. However, if a law enforcement officer stops you first for speeding (for example), they can also issue you a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt.
That is because under Wyoming law, not wearing a seatbelt is what is known as a secondary offense, meaning police are not authorized to make a traffic stop simply because they see the violation (in this case the lack of seat belt usage)
. You can read Wyoming's current seat belt law here.
Some in law enforcement as well as other seat belt advocates would like to see the law changed to make the nonusage of seat belts a primary offense, allowing police officers to stop someone who they see not wearing a seat belt. What do you think?
Take our poll and give us your opinion. We'll publish the results on Monday, May 20.