Wyoming Statutes

Wyo. Stat. § 31-5-1402 (2026)

Safety belts required to be used; exceptions;

✓ current as of May 2026

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reduction in fine.

     (a) Each driver and passenger of a motor vehicle operated
in this state shall wear, and each driver of a motor vehicle
shall require that a passenger under twelve (12) years of age
shall wear, a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt when
the motor vehicle is in motion on public streets and highways.

    (b)   Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to:

          (i) Any person who has a written statement from a
physician that it is not advisable for the person to wear a
safety belt for physical or medical reasons;

          (ii) Any passenger vehicle which is not required to
be equipped with safety belts under federal law;

          (iii) A carrier of the United States postal service
performing duties as a postal carrier;
          (iv) Any person properly secured in a child safety
restraint system in accordance with W.S. 31-5-1301 through
31-5-1305; or

          (v) Any person occupying a seat in a vehicle in which
all operable safety restraints are being used by the driver or
passengers and any person occupying a seat in a vehicle
originally manufactured without a safety belt.

    (c)    No violation of this section shall:

          (i) Be counted as a moving violation for the purpose
of suspending a driver's license under W.S. 31-7-129;

          (ii) Be grounds for increasing insurance premiums or
made a part of the abstracts kept by the department pursuant to
W.S. 31-5-1214.

     (d) No motor vehicle shall be halted solely for a
violation of this section.

     (e) All citations for violations of the motor vehicle laws
of this state and for violations of traffic ordinances or
traffic regulations of a local authority shall contain a
notation by the issuing officer indicating whether the driver
and passengers complied with this section. Compliance with this
section shall entitle a licensee to a ten dollar ($10.00)
reduction in the fine otherwise imposed by any court having
jurisdiction over the alleged offense. The driver who violates
this section may be issued a citation and may be subject to a
fine of not more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00). Any
passenger who violates this section may be issued a citation and
may be subject to a fine of not more than ten dollars ($10.00).

     (f) Evidence of a person's failure to wear a safety belt
as required by this act shall not be admissible in any civil
action.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 7 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1990–2026 · leading case: Dellapenta v. Dellapenta, 838 P.2d 1153 (Wyo. 1992).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Dellapenta v. Dellapenta, 838 P.2d 1153 (Wyo. 1992). · cites it 17× “Wyoming enacted Wyo.Stat. § 31-5-1402 on June 8, 1989, which requires the use of seat belts by the driver and front seat passenger of a passenger vehicle and also prohibits in a civil action the admissibility of evidence of failure to wear a seat belt.”

Huff v. Shumate, 360 F. Supp. 2d 1197 (D. Wyo. 2004). · cites it 15× “A necessary part of making the substantive/procedural determination is examining the state law in question.”

Gaudio v. Ford Motor Co., 976 A.2d 524 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2009). · cites it 2× “§ 4513.263(F)(1), (2)(a), (b), (c). In some jurisdictions, the use or nonuse of a seat belt is not admissible in any civil suit.”

Dexter v. Ford Motor Co., 92 F. App'x 637 (10th Cir. 2004). · cites it 2× “§ 41-6-182 (driver must seatbelt passengers up to age sixteen); Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-5-1402 (driver must seatbelt passengers under age twelve); N.”

Glover v. TransCor Am., Inc., 57 F. Supp. 2d 1240 (D. Wyo. 1999). · cites it 2× “2 and undefined “applicable state law,” presumably Wyo.Stat. § 31-5-1402 (requiring driver and front seat passengers to wear seat belts).”

Forsberg v. Volkswagen of Am., Inc., 769 F. Supp. 33 (D.N.H. 1990). “178 (Vernon 1990); Neb.Rev.Stat. § 39-6, 103.08 (1989); Nev.”

Charles Bunning v. Ernest Romero (Wyo. 2026). · cites it 5× “2d at 1205 (quoting Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-5-1402 (f) (LexisNexis 2003)).”

— Wyo. Stat. § 31-5-1402(f) — 2 cases

Huff v. Shumate, 360 F. Supp. 2d 1197 (D. Wyo. 2004). “A necessary part of making the substantive/procedural determination is examining the state law in question.”

Charles Bunning v. Ernest Romero (Wyo. 2026). “2d at 1205 (quoting Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-5-1402 (f) (LexisNexis 2003)).”

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