{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/46.2-1092.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/46.2-1092.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/46.2-1092.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/46.2-1092.html"}],"law_id":72258,"edition_id":1,"section_id":72258,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1092","catch_line":"Safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses to be installed in certain motor vehicles","history":"1962, c. 357, \u00a7 46.1-309.1; 1964, c. 334; 1966, c. 37; 1968, c. 171; 1970, c. 19; 1980, c. 486; 1982, c. 434; 1989, c. 727; 1992, c. 553; 2014, cc. 53, 256.","full_text":"No passenger car or autocycle registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured for the year 1963 or for subsequent years shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the front seats thereof are equipped with adult safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses of types approved by the Superintendent.\n\t\tFailure to use the safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses after installation shall not be deemed to be negligence. Nor shall evidence of such nonuse of such devices be considered in mitigation of damages of whatever nature.\n\t\tNo motor vehicle registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured after January 1, 1968, shall be issued a safety inspection approval sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder harness, or passive belt systems required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation have been either removed from the motor vehicle or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo autocycle registered in the Commonwealth shall be issued a safety inspection sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder harness, or passive belt systems required to be installed under this section have been either removed from the autocycle or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo passenger car, except convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1990, shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tNo passenger car, including convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tNo truck, multi-purpose vehicle, or bus, except school buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tPassenger cars, trucks, multipurpose vehicles, and buses, except school buses and motor homes, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1992, shall not be operated on the highways of the Commonwealth unless equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation for each forward-facing rear outboard seating position on a readily removable seat.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, forward-facing rear outboard seats are defined as those designated seating positions for passengers in outside front facing seats behind the driver and front passenger seats, except any designated seating position adjacent to a walkway that is located between the seat and the near side of the vehicle and is designed to allow access to a more rearward seating position.\n\t\tThe Superintendent of State Police shall include in the Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations a section which identifies each classification of motor vehicle required to be equipped with any of the devices described in the foregoing provisions of this section.\n\t\tSuch regulations shall also include a listing of the exact devices which are required to be installed in each motor vehicle classification and the model year of each motor vehicle classification on which the standards of the federal Department of Transportation first became applicable.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":260291,"text":"No passenger car or autocycle registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured for the year 1963 or for subsequent years shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the front seats thereof are equipped with adult safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses of types approved by the Superintendent.\n\t\tFailure to use the safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses after installation shall not be deemed to be negligence. Nor shall evidence of such nonuse of such devices be considered in mitigation of damages of whatever nature.\n\t\tNo motor vehicle registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured after January 1, 1968, shall be issued a safety inspection approval sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder harness, or passive belt systems required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation have been either removed from the motor vehicle or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo autocycle registered in the Commonwealth shall be issued a safety inspection sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder harness, or passive belt systems required to be installed under this section have been either removed from the autocycle or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo passenger car, except convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1990, shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tNo passenger car, including convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tNo truck, multi-purpose vehicle, or bus, except school buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tPassenger cars, trucks, multipurpose vehicles, and buses, except school buses and motor homes, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1992, shall not be operated on the highways of the Commonwealth unless equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation for each forward-facing rear outboard seating position on a readily removable seat.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, forward-facing rear outboard seats are defined as those designated seating positions for passengers in outside front facing seats behind the driver and front passenger seats, except any designated seating position adjacent to a walkway that is located between the seat and the near side of the vehicle and is designed to allow access to a more rearward seating position.\n\t\tThe Superintendent of State Police shall include in the Official Motor Vehicle Inspection Regulations a section which identifies each classification of motor vehicle required to be equipped with any of the devices described in the foregoing provisions of this section.\n\t\tSuch regulations shall also include a listing of the exact devices which are required to be installed in each motor vehicle classification and the model year of each motor vehicle classification on which the standards of the federal Department of Transportation first became applicable.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14898,"edition_id":1,"name":"Safety Belts","identifier":"12","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12828,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:38","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:38","permalink":{"id":228759,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14898,"identifier":"12","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12","url":"\/46.2\/III\/10\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12828,"edition_id":1,"name":"Motor Vehicle and Equipment Safety","identifier":"10","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12827,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","permalink":{"id":228599,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12828,"identifier":"10","token":"46.2\/III\/10","url":"\/46.2\/III\/10\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12827,"edition_id":1,"name":"Operation","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12770,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:55","permalink":{"id":228597,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12827,"identifier":"III","token":"46.2\/III","url":"\/46.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12770,"edition_id":1,"name":"Motor Vehicles","identifier":"46.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:52","permalink":{"id":225289,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12770,"identifier":"46.2","token":"46.2","url":"\/46.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":56874,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1091","catch_line":"Safety belts to be worn by certain bus drivers","url":"\/46.2-1091\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1091","metadata":false},{"id":72258,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1092","catch_line":"Safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses to be installed in certain motor vehicles","url":"\/46.2-1092\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1092","metadata":false},{"id":77960,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1093","catch_line":"Requirements for safety lap belts, shoulder harnesses and combinations thereof","url":"\/46.2-1093\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1093","metadata":false},{"id":76516,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1094","catch_line":"Occupants of front seats of motor vehicles required to use safety lap belts and shoulder harnesses; penalty","url":"\/46.2-1094\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1094","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":56874,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1091","catch_line":"Safety belts to be worn by certain bus drivers","url":"\/46.2-1091\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1091","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":77960,"structure_id":14898,"section_number":"46.2-1093","catch_line":"Requirements for safety lap belts, shoulder harnesses and combinations thereof","url":"\/46.2-1093\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1093","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/46.2-1092\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1962. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 357 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1962 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 9 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1964, chapter 334; in 1966, chapter 37; in 1968, chapter 171; in 1970, chapter 19; in 1980, chapter 486; in 1982, chapter 434; in 1989, chapter 727; in 1992, chapter 553; in 2014, chapters 53<\/a> and 256<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":228765,"object_type":"law","relational_id":72258,"identifier":"46.2-1092","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1092","url":"\/46.2-1092\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/46.2-1092\/","token":"46.2\/III\/10\/12\/46.2-1092","dublin_core":{"Title":"Safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses to be installed in certain motor vehicles","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 46.2-1092","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

No passenger car<\/span> or autocycle<\/span> registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured for the year 1963 or for subsequent years shall be operated on the highways<\/span><\/span> in the Commonwealth unless the front seats thereof are equipped with adult safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder<\/span> harnesses of types approved by the Superintendent<\/span>.\n\t\tFailure to use the safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder<\/span> harnesses after installation shall not be deemed to be negligence<\/span>. Nor shall evidence<\/span> of such nonuse of such devices be considered in mitigation of damages<\/span> of whatever nature.\n\t\tNo motor vehicle<\/span> registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured after January 1, 1968, shall be issued a safety inspection approval sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder<\/span> harness, or passive belt systems required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department<\/span> of Transportation have been either removed from the motor vehicle<\/span> or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo autocycle<\/span> registered in the Commonwealth shall be issued a safety inspection sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder<\/span> harness, or passive belt systems required to be installed under this section have been either removed from the autocycle<\/span> or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo passenger car<\/span>, except convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1990, shall be operated on the highways<\/span><\/span> in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder<\/span> belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department<\/span> of Transportation.\n\t\tNo passenger car<\/span>, including convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways<\/span><\/span> in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder<\/span> belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department<\/span> of Transportation.\n\t\tNo truck<\/span>, multi-purpose vehicle, or bus, except school buses and motor homes<\/span>, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways<\/span><\/span> in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder<\/span> belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department<\/span> of Transportation.\n\t\tPassenger cars<\/span>, trucks<\/span>, multipurpose vehicles<\/span>, and buses, except school buses and motor homes<\/span>, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1992, shall not be operated on the highways<\/span><\/span> of the Commonwealth unless equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder<\/span> belts of types required to be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department<\/span> of Transportation for each forward-facing rear outboard seating position on a readily removable seat.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, forward-facing rear outboard seats are defined as those designated seating positions for passengers in outside front facing seats behind the driver<\/span> and front passenger seats, except any designated seating position adjacent to a walkway that is located between the seat and the near side of the vehicle and is designed to allow access to a more rearward seating position.\n\t\tThe Superintendent<\/span> of State Police shall include in the Official Motor Vehicle<\/span> Inspection Regulations a section which identifies each classification of motor vehicle<\/span> required to be equipped with any of the devices described in the foregoing provisions of this section.\n\t\tSuch regulations shall also include a listing of the exact devices which are required to be installed in each motor vehicle<\/span> classification and the model year of each motor vehicle<\/span> classification on which the standards of the federal Department<\/span> of Transportation first became applicable.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nSAFETY LAP BELTS OR A COMBINATION OF LAP BELTS AND SHOULDER HARNESSES TO BE\nINSTALLED IN CERTAIN MOTOR VEHICLES (\u00a7 46.2-1092)\n\nNo passenger car or autocycle registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured\nfor the year 1963 or for subsequent years shall be operated on the highways in\nthe Commonwealth unless the front seats thereof are equipped with adult safety\nlap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder harnesses of types approved\nby the Superintendent.\n\t\tFailure to use the safety lap belts or a combination of lap belts and shoulder\nharnesses after installation shall not be deemed to be negligence. Nor shall\nevidence of such nonuse of such devices be considered in mitigation of damages\nof whatever nature.\n\t\tNo motor vehicle registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured after January\n1, 1968, shall be issued a safety inspection approval sticker if any lap belt,\ncombination of lap belt and shoulder harness, or passive belt systems required\nto be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of\nTransportation have been either removed from the motor vehicle or rendered\ninoperable.\n\t\tNo autocycle registered in the Commonwealth shall be issued a safety\ninspection sticker if any lap belt, combination of lap belt and shoulder\nharness, or passive belt systems required to be installed under this section\nhave been either removed from the autocycle or rendered inoperable.\n\t\tNo passenger car, except convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and\nmanufactured on or after September 1, 1990, shall be operated on the highways in\nthe Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are\nequipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at\nthe time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tNo passenger car, including convertibles, registered in the Commonwealth and\nmanufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated on the highways in\nthe Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard seats thereof are\nequipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be installed at\nthe time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation.\n\t\tNo truck, multi-purpose vehicle, or bus, except school buses and motor homes,\nwith a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, registered in the\nCommonwealth and manufactured on or after September 1, 1991, shall be operated\non the highways in the Commonwealth unless the forward-facing rear outboard\nseats thereof are equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required\nto be installed at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of\nTransportation.\n\t\tPassenger cars, trucks, multipurpose vehicles, and buses, except school buses\nand motor homes, registered in the Commonwealth and manufactured on or after\nSeptember 1, 1992, shall not be operated on the highways of the Commonwealth\nunless equipped with rear seat lap\/shoulder belts of types required to be\ninstalled at the time of manufacture by the federal Department of Transportation\nfor each forward-facing rear outboard seating position on a readily removable\nseat.\n\t\tFor the purposes of this section, forward-facing rear outboard seats are\ndefined as those designated seating positions for passengers in outside front\nfacing seats behind the driver and front passenger seats, except any designated\nseating position adjacent to a walkway that is located between the seat and the\nnear side of the vehicle and is designed to allow access to a more rearward\nseating position.\n\t\tThe Superintendent of State Police shall include in the Official Motor Vehicle\nInspection Regulations a section which identifies each classification of motor\nvehicle required to be equipped with any of the devices described in the\nforegoing provisions of this section.\n\t\tSuch regulations shall also include a listing of the exact devices which are\nrequired to be installed in each motor vehicle classification and the model year\nof each motor vehicle classification on which the standards of the federal\nDepartment of Transportation first became applicable.\n\nHISTORY: 1962, c. 357, \u00a7 46.1-309.1; 1964, c. 334; 1966, c. 37; 1968, c. 171;\n1970, c. 19; 1980, c. 486; 1982, c. 434; 1989, c. 727; 1992, c. 553; 2014, cc.\n53, 256.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}