PRINTER'S NO. 1642
No. 1384 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY CORNELL, YOUNGBLOOD, DALEY, GIGLIOTTI, MARKOSEK, SHANER, ROONEY, DeLUCA, STABACK, BELARDI, WAUGH, WASHINGTON, TRAVAGLIO, HERSHEY, RAMOS, E. Z. TAYLOR, MELIO, L. I. COHEN, ITKIN, CORRIGAN, TRELLO, C. WILLIAMS, BARD, LAUGHLIN AND BENNINGHOFF, APRIL 30, 1997
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, APRIL 30, 1997
AN ACT 1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated 2 Statutes, further providing for restraint systems. 3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 4 hereby enacts as follows: 5 Section 1. Section 4581(a) of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania 6 Consolidated Statutes is amended to read: 7 § 4581. Restraint systems. 8 (a) Occupant protection.-- 9 (1) Any person who is operating a passenger car, Class I 10 truck, Class II truck, classic motor vehicle, antique motor 11 vehicle or motor home and who transports a child under four 12 years of age anywhere in the motor vehicle, including the 13 cargo area, shall fasten such child securely in a child 14 passenger restraint system, as defined in subsection (d). For 15 purposes of this paragraph, only one child at a time must be 16 secured by a seat safety belt. This subsection shall apply to
1 all persons while they are operators of motor vehicles where 2 a seating position is available which is equipped with a seat 3 safety belt or other means to secure the systems or where the 4 seating position was originally equipped with seat safety 5 belts. 6 (2) Except for children under four years of age and 7 except as provided in paragraph (1), each driver and front 8 seat occupant of a passenger car, Class I truck, Class II 9 truck or motor home operated in this Commonwealth shall wear 10 a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system. For 11 purposes of this paragraph, a seat safety belt may be worn by 12 only one person at a time. A conviction under this paragraph 13 by State or local law enforcement agencies shall occur only 14 as a secondary action when a driver of a motor vehicle has 15 been convicted of any other provision of this title. The 16 driver of a passenger automobile shall secure or cause to be 17 secured in a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt 18 system any occupant in the front seat who is four years of 19 age or older and less than 18 years of age. This paragraph 20 shall not apply to: 21 (i) A driver or front seat occupant of any vehicle 22 manufactured before July 1, 1966. 23 (ii) A driver or front seat occupant who possesses a 24 written verification from a physician that he is unable 25 to wear a safety seat belt system for physical or medical 26 reasons, or from a psychiatrist or other specialist 27 qualified to make an informed judgment that he is unable 28 to wear a safety seat belt system for psychological 29 reasons. 30 (iii) A rural letter carrier while operating any 19970H1384B1642 - 2 -
1 motor vehicle during the performance of his duties as a 2 United States postal service rural letter carrier only 3 between the first and last delivery points. 4 (iv) A driver who makes frequent stops and is 5 traveling less than 15 miles per hour for the purpose of 6 delivering goods or services while in the performance of 7 his duties and only between the first and last delivery 8 points. 9 A violation of this paragraph shall not be subject to the 10 assessment of any points under section 1535 (relating to 11 schedule of convictions and points). 12 * * * 13 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. A30L75JS/19970H1384B1642 - 3 -