The bigger question is why you were not wearing a seat belt to begin with, regardless of what the law says. It's common sense.
Originally Posted by
acesflyerSFO
Yes, one should check if you are driving, but the OP was a rear seat passenger, obviously visiting. Courtesy would say let him off with a warning / unless they hate tourist.
Why should they let him off if he's a tourist? Ignorance is never an excuse. Americans driving in Canada often get speeding tickets because they "forget" that our signs are in metric.