Seat Belts and Airbags

The Virginia Highway Safety Office encourages everyone to wear their seat belts during every trip. Seat belts are

  • The single most effective traffic safety device for preventing death during a crash
  • The best defense against impaired, aggressive and distracted drivers

Seat belts hold drivers and passengers in place, helping the driver maintain control during a collision. Seat belts keep the driver from pitching forward into the steering wheel, dashboard and windshield, and keep everyone from being ejected and from flying around the vehicle injuring others.

Effective July 1, 2025, Virginia law requires all occupants of motor vehicles to be restrained by a seat belt, regardless of where they are seated in the vehicle.  Children under age 8 must be secured in a property child safety seat, and rear-facing child seats must still be placed in the back seat of a vehicle. 

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Busting Myths

Proper Use of Restraints

  • The lap belt should fit low and snug across the hips, never across the abdomen, while the shoulder belt should fit closely against the chest and across the breastbone, never under the arm.
  • Pregnant women should make sure the lap belt sits low across the hips and not on the abdomen.

Airbags

When used properly in conjunction with a seat belt, airbags reduce death and serious injury. Airbags reduce the chance that an occupant's upper body or head will strike the vehicle's interior during a crash. Airbags are supplemental safety devices and are designed to work with seat belts. To avoid an airbag-related injury, always buckle up and ensure proper seating position.

Never place a child safety seat in front of an active passenger airbag. If there is no back seat and the child safety seat is in the front seat, the airbag must be off. All children under age 13 years should be correctly restrained in the back seat.

Seat Belt and Airbag Resources

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