PRINTER'S NO. 3715
No. 2704 Session of 1996
INTRODUCED BY CORNELL, L. I. COHEN, WAUGH, ROBERTS, HERSHEY,
GRUPPO, STABACK, PETTIT, YOUNGBLOOD, JAMES, MERRY, GIGLIOTTI,
ROONEY, BARD, HALUSKA, FICHTER, TRAVAGLIO, BELFANTI, TRELLO,
STETLER, E. Z. TAYLOR AND RAMOS, JUNE 13, 1996
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JUNE 13, 1996
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, further providing for restraint systems.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Section 4581(a) of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania
6 Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
7 § 4581. Restraint systems.
8 (a) Occupant protection.--
9 (1) Any person who is operating a passenger car, Class I
10 truck, Class II truck, classic motor vehicle, antique motor
11 vehicle or motor home and who transports a child under four
12 years of age anywhere in the motor vehicle, including the
13 cargo area, shall fasten such child securely in a child
14 passenger restraint system, as defined in subsection (d). For
15 purposes of this paragraph, only one child at a time must be
16 secured by a seat safety belt. This subsection shall apply to
17 all persons while they are operators of motor vehicles where
1 a seating position is available which is equipped with a seat
2 safety belt or other means to secure the systems or where the
3 seating position was originally equipped with seat safety
4 belts.
5 (2) Except for children under four years of age and
6 except as provided in paragraph (1), each driver and front
7 seat occupant of a passenger car, Class I truck, Class II
8 truck or motor home operated in this Commonwealth shall wear
9 a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system. For
10 purposes of this paragraph, a seat safety belt may be worn by
11 only one person at a time. A conviction under this paragraph
12 by State or local law enforcement agencies shall occur only
13 as a secondary action when a driver of a motor vehicle has
14 been convicted of any other provision of this title. The
15 driver of a passenger automobile shall secure or cause to be
16 secured in a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt
17 system any occupant in the front seat who is four years of
18 age or older and less than 18 years of age. This paragraph
19 shall not apply to:
20 (i) A driver or front seat occupant of any vehicle
21 manufactured before July 1, 1966.
22 (ii) A driver or front seat occupant who possesses a
23 written verification from a physician that he is unable
24 to wear a safety seat belt system for physical or medical
25 reasons, or from a psychiatrist or other specialist
26 qualified to make an informed judgment that he is unable
27 to wear a safety seat belt system for psychological
28 reasons.
29 (iii) A rural letter carrier while operating any
30 motor vehicle during the performance of his duties as a
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1 United States postal service rural letter carrier only
2 between the first and last delivery points.
3 (iv) A driver who makes frequent stops and is
4 traveling less than 15 miles per hour for the purpose of
5 delivering goods or services while in the performance of
6 his duties and only between the first and last delivery
7 points.
8 A violation of this paragraph shall not be subject to the
9 assessment of any points under section 1535 (relating to
10 schedule of convictions and points).
11 * * *
12 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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