Seatbelts became mandatory at different times depending on the country and whether you mean seatbelt installation or seatbelt wearing. In the U.S., cars were required to have seatbelts starting with federal safety standards in 1968, while the first state law requiring occupants to wear them came in New York in 1984, with front-seat passengers required from January 1, 1985.

U.S. timeline

  • 1968: Federal law required seatbelts to be installed in vehicles.
  • 1961: Wisconsin had an early state requirement involving seatbelts in vehicles.
  • 1984/1985: New York became the first state to require people to wear seatbelts, starting December 1, 1984, with enforcement commonly noted in early 1985.

Outside the U.S.

In the UK, front-seat belt wearing became compulsory in 1983, and rear-seat belt rules followed later in 1989 and 1991. Across Europe, mandatory safety- belt use began appearing around the turn of the 1970s.

Simple takeaway

If you mean “when did seatbelts become mandatory for drivers and passengers to wear,” the short answer is: in the U.S., that began in the 1980s at the state level; in the UK, 1983; and in many European countries, around the 1970s.