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Seat Belts Tickets: Officer Observation and Testimony is Enough

by Seth Azria on 1/02/2024

To be pulled over, it is enough for a police officer to observe the driver or passenger not wearing a seat belt. People v. Smith, 158 A.D.3d 1081 (4th Dep't 2018).

To be convicted of the seat belt charge, it is enough for the officer to testify that he saw the driver or passenger fail to wear a seat belt. Of, course the driver will testify that he was wearing a seat belt. This creates and issue of credibility for the judge to decide. In Whitten the judge decided in officer’s favor and convicted the driver. Whitten v. Martinez, 24 A.D.3d 285 (1st Dep't 2005).

However, a person wearing belt, under the arm rather than over the shoulder is "restrained" and therefore permissible within the meaning of the law. People v. Locke, 1 Misc. 3d 482, 765 N.Y.S.2d 468 (City Ct. 2003).

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I had gotten an extremely high speeding ticket when I drove upstate for the first time. I'm 18 and have had my license for about a year, so my mother and I thought it would be a good idea to hire an attorney. It was a holiday weekend, so I was surprised when David Bruffett answered our call on Presidents' Day. I'm so thankful he did. He's did an amazing job getting my speeding ticket reduced. He instructed my on what to do to increase my chances to reduce as many points as possible. He was honest when telling us what our outcome would most likely be, however, the outcome exceeded our expectations. He and his staff were very professional and supportive. David had always made himself available to answer our calls.

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