Idaho Law Blog
By now, most people know that wearing a seatbelt is safer than not wearing a seatbelt. The use of a seatbelt can reduce the risk of serious vehicle accident injuries, including death, by approximately fifty percent. The use of a seatbelt during an accident can prevent a person from hitting the windshield, prevent a person from being thrown from a vehicle and prevent a person from being thrown around inside a vehicle. Despite this fairly common knowledge, not everyone wears their seatbelt every time they get into a vehicle.
In Idaho, with few exceptions, it is illegal to operate or ride in a motorized vehicle without wearing a seatbelt. The fine, however, is not significant. Idaho law only allows the state to fine a person not wearing a seatbelt ten dollars. Additionally, enforcement of the law is a secondary action which means a person cannot be stopped or detained for not wearing a seatbelt. The fine is only enforceable if a person is stopped for some other violation. While the threat of a ten dollar fine may not be a large financial incentive to wear your seatbelt, Idaho’s personal injury laws do create a very large financial incentive to wear your seatbelt. Under Idaho’s personal injury laws, a person injured in a motor vehicle accident may have his or her damages reduced by the amount of damages caused by not wearing a seatbelt. For example, if a person becomes injured by someone running a red light, the injured person has the right to receive compensation for any injuries caused in the accident. If, however, the injured person was not wearing a seatbelt, the amount of compensation could be reduced by the percentage of the damages caused by not wearing a seatbelt despite the fact that the other driver was 100% at fault. Although different in each case, the inured party’s damages could be reduced by tens of thousands of dollars or even more. Therefore, it makes financial sense to wear your seatbelt in Idaho.