New Zealand rear seat seatbelt law?
Jan 11, 2013, 7:58 am
#16
Join Date: Aug 2007
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That's how offensive your comments are to New Zealand.
Jan 11, 2013, 8:02 am
#17
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Let's focus on not wearing the seatbelt.
Go around the next corner and you have a no fault accident.
You get thrown out of the car, as not wearing a seatbelt you have not protection.
Serious injury, you die!!!
Wear your safety device and stop whining about some police officer trying to keep you alive
Go around the next corner and you have a no fault accident.
You get thrown out of the car, as not wearing a seatbelt you have not protection.
Serious injury, you die!!!
Wear your safety device and stop whining about some police officer trying to keep you alive
Jan 11, 2013, 8:23 am
#18
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Nearly 60 years of driving, plus a stint flying about in Navy a/c, topped off by stopping for what looked to be a "minor" accident the other day in which a pair of kids and an adult, unbelted in the back seat, were injured, has firmly implanted "belting up" to me. It took a while, recalling the first seatbelts I recall, in a '56 Ford, IIRC, but experience and the "odds" altered my behavior.
As for NY (and NYC), able and willing to fill statute books with inexplicable trivia, I guess they just missed one actually likely to reduce death and injury. Having one been bounced off the front seat back and Plexiglas shield of a NYC taxi, I reach for belts there, too.
As for NY (and NYC), able and willing to fill statute books with inexplicable trivia, I guess they just missed one actually likely to reduce death and injury. Having one been bounced off the front seat back and Plexiglas shield of a NYC taxi, I reach for belts there, too.
Jan 11, 2013, 9:36 am
#19
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Yesterday, as a back seat passenger (not the driver or front seat) I received a NZ $150 ticket for not wearing a seat belt. Honestly I did not know there was a law requiring a seat belt in the rear seats. No warning, no signs (who looks at signs when are not driving anyway), no leniency just a ticket for $150. NY has no such law for back seat passengers.
Sort of a entrapment operation; plain clothes,policeman standing at light watches for those not wearing a seat belt and radio ahead to police officers waiting to pull you over.
Anyway I guess it makes the most sense just to pay the fine. I feel the need to complain although I am sure no one will care.
I also am tempted not to pay since it will be a long time until I return, of course that may not be the right thing to do either.
Any suggestions? Anyone else had this happen to you?
Only been here two days and this happens, sort of spoils the vacation and I feel the need to warn others if this happens to be a new trend to enforce this law on tourist.
Only been here two days and this happens, sort of spoils the vacation and I feel the need to warn others if this happens to be a new trend to enforce this law on tourist.
The officers have discretion in issuing fines. The fact that you are a tourist and they did give you the fine, based on my experience of NZ police and the way you've phrased things here, probably means you "earned" your ticket: IME, NZ police tend to be quite good with discretionary fines.
Maybe this is how they are planning on paying for all the earthquake damage.
Jan 11, 2013, 9:45 am
#20
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Ideally the rental car company or the vehicle operator would remind you of (a) the law and (b) that they enforce it seriously.
), but suggest wearing a seat belt is a sensible idea, whether required by law or not.
Jan 11, 2013, 10:58 am
#23
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Sorry jet lag may have not allowed me to word my question/post properly. Sorry to offend anyone regarding how revenue from fines are used. Also, obviously my ID was asked for so they of course knew I was a tourist.
Thanks for the comments. Planning on paying the fine and considering it part of our trip budget. New Zealand is a beautiful country; scenery and people.
Live and learn.
Thanks
Thanks for the comments. Planning on paying the fine and considering it part of our trip budget. New Zealand is a beautiful country; scenery and people.
Live and learn.
Thanks
Jan 11, 2013, 12:25 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,857
I think the tourist thing is a furphy. There is no reason that they should especially remind you of New Zealand's seatbelt laws. Many countries have had mandatory seatbelt laws for a very long time. You can't expect a rental agency to remind you of all the differences between New Zealand and New York traffic laws.
Jan 11, 2013, 12:30 pm
#25
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Others have already covered all the fail in that first paragraph, although I would mention that it was my impression that the driver, not the passenger, got the fine for passengers failing to wear seatbelts. Could well have changed in the last few years as I haven't lived in NZ for almost a decade now.
You don't appear to know what the word "entrapment" means.
You have the right to contest the fine and request a Court hearing. From what you've said here, you would also lose. Why should they (or anyone) care that you didn't know the law and broke it and got fined for it?
Ya think?
New trend on tourists? You think the police officer, upon seeing you not wearing a seatbelt at a distance, could tell that you were a tourist? Paranoid often?
The officers have discretion in issuing fines. The fact that you are a tourist and they did give you the fine, based on my experience of NZ police and the way you've phrased things here, probably means you "earned" your ticket: IME, NZ police tend to be quite good with discretionary fines.
Classy.
You don't appear to know what the word "entrapment" means.
You have the right to contest the fine and request a Court hearing. From what you've said here, you would also lose. Why should they (or anyone) care that you didn't know the law and broke it and got fined for it?
Ya think?
New trend on tourists? You think the police officer, upon seeing you not wearing a seatbelt at a distance, could tell that you were a tourist? Paranoid often?
The officers have discretion in issuing fines. The fact that you are a tourist and they did give you the fine, based on my experience of NZ police and the way you've phrased things here, probably means you "earned" your ticket: IME, NZ police tend to be quite good with discretionary fines.
Classy.
Jan 11, 2013, 12:41 pm
#26
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9650; en) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.719 Mobile Safari/534.8+)
NZ police runs zero tolerance periods on specific things and it sounds like you found the seatbelt one if you found a 'sting'.
The law is the law in NZ, pay the fine. If you're over 15, you're responsible and not the driver.
(I got cited in LA for jaywalking across an empty street, something which wouldn't happen in NZ...).
NZ police runs zero tolerance periods on specific things and it sounds like you found the seatbelt one if you found a 'sting'.
The law is the law in NZ, pay the fine. If you're over 15, you're responsible and not the driver.
(I got cited in LA for jaywalking across an empty street, something which wouldn't happen in NZ...).
Jan 11, 2013, 12:47 pm
#27
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: New Zealand/ UK
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I think the tourist thing is a furphy. There is no reason that they should especially remind you of New Zealand's seatbelt laws. Many countries have had mandatory seatbelt laws for a very long time. You can't expect a rental agency to remind you of all the differences between New Zealand and New York traffic laws.
The law requiring rear seat passengers to wear a seat belt in NZ came into effect in 1989.
Hardly a new law and certainly no scheme to pay for earthquake damage, OP.
However, it is usually the driver who is fined if passengers are not complying with the law.
In many cases, insurance cover is invalidated if the driver is not complying with the law.
Jan 11, 2013, 4:01 pm
#29
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http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/fa...d-airbags.html
Originally Posted by NZTA
If you're the driver, the law says it's your responsibility to make sure that everyone under 15 years old is wearing a safety belt or sitting in an approved child restraint.
(However, the driver of a passenger service vehicle such as a bus or taxi is not legally responsible for ensuring seatbelts are used, if fitted.)
...
Drivers and passengers 15 years and over must wear a safety belt if there's one available.
...
If you don't wear a safety belt, or you allow a person under 15 years to travel unrestrained, you can be fined $150 for each belt not worn. The driver must pay for each unrestrained person under 15 years old. People 15 years and over are responsible for their own fine.
...
(However, the driver of a passenger service vehicle such as a bus or taxi is not legally responsible for ensuring seatbelts are used, if fitted.)
...
Drivers and passengers 15 years and over must wear a safety belt if there's one available.
...
If you don't wear a safety belt, or you allow a person under 15 years to travel unrestrained, you can be fined $150 for each belt not worn. The driver must pay for each unrestrained person under 15 years old. People 15 years and over are responsible for their own fine.
...
Jan 11, 2013, 5:03 pm
#30
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However, it's the driver's insurance company that may deny cover.