Can the police really see if you are wearing your seatbelt?

Question

some say they can, and some say they can't!
some say they pull you over for anything to see if you are.

what if you get pulled over and you take it off, how do they know you just took it off, do you get in trouble?

oh, if you aren't wearing one, and you see a cop, do you quickly try and put it on, so you won't get a ticket?

i always wear a seatblet, even though i don't like it sometimes!

Answer 1

Your not suppose to take it off or move your hands from the steering wheel unless asked.

Answer 2

Mostly depends on the state you live in.

I live in Florida, and an officer can not pull you over to give you a ticket for a seatbelt violation. Seatbelt violations for adults are considered secondary offenses(unbuckled kids will get you pulled over). They must have a reason to pull you over, such as speeding, crossing the lane dividers, etc., and then they can add a seat belt ticket if you are not wearing it.

When I lived in New York, the police were allowed to pull you over for not wearing a seat belt, so all they need to do is not see a shoulder harness being worn, and you can get stopped, and ticketed.

Answer 3

Think of it this way: When you're driving around or sitting still in your car, can YOU tell if drivers are wearing their seatbelts? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Police are no different from the rest of us when it comes to identifying those not wearing seatbelts - they don't have x-ray vision or some kind of radar that beeps when a beltless driver goes by.

I guess if you get pulled over and you just took off your seatbelt, then how would they know whether you were wearing it until you were pulled over. You run the risk of being ticketed even if you just took it off. Just leave it on, then you won't have to worry about it.

Answer 4

Yep, they can see. My son-in-law is a policeman and I had a very good friend who was a Texas Highway Patrolman (he died while in pursuit of a speeder last year), and both say they can see whether you have the shoulder harness on you properly. If not, you can be ticketed. As to whether you take it off just moments before they challenge you, I did that around 8 years ago, somewhere in Oklahoma or Kansas, as I was getting out of my car after being pulled over. When the policeman saw that I had not violated any law worth ticketing, he then asked, or maybe he was about to ticket me, for not wearing my seatbelt, when I told him that I had just taken it off as I was exiting my car to come see what he stopped me for. He accepted that as a truly possible answer and so didn't ticket me. I had emphasized that, as a father of two young kids, we had a game that my young daughter made up, which was, as we got in the car that the last one to buckle their seat belt and lock their door was a booger, and how she would always loose the game till she figured to reach up towards my door and unlock mine so that she wouldn't lose and daddy would be the booger. But, the story went well because it was honest. Both my son-in-law and the Texas Highway Patrolman both said that they can read a lie in a person's face like a laser, even though they may not be able to act on it, so, make sure your story's true. My son-in-law is a wonderful young man, but being a sargent in charge of the SWAT teams and in charge of undercover sting operations in drug and prostitution areas, he can be the worst thing you ever met if he thinks you're lying or covering up something. The Texas Highway Patrolmen are the same way, as was my friend who was killed while on duty, leaving his young widow and three young sons, and a daughter-to-be, who'll be born in a week or two. God Bless you.

Answer 5

Of course they can see. Unless there is some sort of visual obstruction, which you could get pulled over for.

They don't pull you over for anything to see if you are wearing your seatbelt. They pull you over if your not wearing your seatbelt and then the other stuff is icing on the cake. If you are acting suspicious or look suspicious and you don't have your seatbelt on, you just opened your door to that cop.

I always wear mine, no wearing it is just being difficult. They save more lives than they hurt for sure!

Answer 6

I remember Gov. Schaeffer and the Commandant of the State Police in Maryland promising they would NEVER use a seatbelt law to pull people over...thats why the Patriot Act and the trend towards surrendering civil rights is so worrisome,government is more intrusive and less honest every year...

Answer 7

LOL...I would leave everything intact (except for the things i needed to hide of course) if i got pulled over, including my seat belt. one time my uncle and his wife were in high school, drinking and driving, and they got pulled over so my aunt panicked and tried to throw the beer out of the window but the window was down so the cans exploded and beer went everywhere. HAHA

Answer 8

If they pull you over and you allready have it off they might think you never had it on and they would be right.,This happend to my daughter they pulled her over cause he said she didnt have her seatbelt on but she did and she had taken it off when he was walking up to the car she got a ticket for no seatbelt needless to say she was mad , but couldnt do anything about it.

Answer 9

I don't know but they sure can see if you try to put it on as you are pulling over.

Answer 10

Yes, I had an HP pull up beside me and pull on his seat belt, then pull behind me and hit his lights!!

Answer 11

They can't see. My husband is a cop and he told me. They pull you over and hope you're not wearing it so you get fined.