Tennessee Code Annotated

Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-601 (2026)

Required - Specifications - Violations - Penalties

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a)
- (1) It is unlawful for any person to buy, sell, lease, trade or transfer from or to Tennessee residents, at retail, an automobile that is manufactured or assembled commencing with the 1964 models, unless the automobile is equipped with safety belts installed for use in the left front and right front seats.
- (2) It is unlawful for any person to buy, sell, lease, trade or transfer from or to Tennessee residents, at retail, a passenger motor vehicle that is manufactured or assembled commencing with the 1969 models, unless the passenger motor vehicle is equipped with safety belts installed for use in every designated seating position of the motor vehicle.

(b) All such safety belts shall be of a type and be installed in a manner approved by the department of safety. The department shall establish specifications and requirements of approved types of safety belts and attachments. The department shall accept, as approved, all seat belt installations and the belt and anchor meeting the specifications of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

(c) As used in this section, unless specified otherwise, "passenger car" or "passenger motor vehicle" means any motor vehicle with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of eight thousand five hundred pounds (8,500 lbs.) or less that is not used as a public or livery conveyance for passengers. "Passenger car" or "passenger motor vehicle" does not apply to motor vehicles that are not required by federal law to be equipped with safety belts.

(d) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

(e) No court costs shall be imposed or assessed against anyone convicted of a violation of this section.

Acts 1963, ch. 102, §§ 1, 2; 1977, ch. 114, §§ 1, 2; T.C.A., § 59-930; Acts 1981, ch. 86, §§ 1, 2; 1985, ch. 183, § 1; T.C.A., § 55-9-214; Acts 1986, ch. 866, §§ 1-3; 1989, ch. 591, § 113.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 2 cases, 1992–2012 · leading case: MacDonald v. Gen. Motors Corp., 784 F. Supp. 486 (M.D. Tenn. 1992).

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MacDonald v. Gen. Motors Corp., 784 F. Supp. 486 (M.D. Tenn. 1992). · cites it 7× “The dispute turns on an interpretation of Tennessee’s Mandatory Safety Belt Act, Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 55-9-601 to 610. The matter is before the Court on the Plaintiffs’ Motion to Strike Affirmative Defenses of.”

Aundrey Meals, as Nat. Parent, Guardian, & Next Friend of William Meals v. Ford Motor Co. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2012). · cites it 2× “Upon review of the record and consideration of the parties’ arguments, on September 15, 2011, we ordered the parties to submit supplemental briefs on the public policy issues implicated in the matter in light of the statutory provisions found in Tennessee Code Annotated §…”

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