Michigan Vehicle Code, section by section › MCL 257.710e
Safety belt required; driver or passenger to which section inapplicable; transporting child 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age; use of lap belt for purpose of road construction or maintenance; enforcement of section; violation as evidence of negligence; reduction of recovery for damages; violation as civil infraction; reports of inappropriate enforcement; intent; assessment of points prohibited.
In plain terms
Every driver and front-seat passenger must wear a seat belt, children 13 to 15 must be belted anywhere in the car, and failing to wear one may be treated as evidence of negligence that reduces an injured person's recovery, but never by more than 5 percent. A violation is a civil infraction with no points.
How this section works in practice
Subsection (8) is the sentence that matters in an injury case: failure to wear a seat belt may be considered evidence of negligence and may reduce the recovery for damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance or operation of a motor vehicle, but that negligence must not reduce the recovery by more than 5 percent. Michigan therefore rejects the seat belt defense that some states allow in full: an unbelted driver who is rear-ended keeps at least 95 percent of what the jury awards on account of the belt, and the insurer still has to prove that the belt would have prevented or reduced the injury. Note the boundaries of the duty itself. It applies to the operator and front-seat passengers, and to children 13 to 15 anywhere in the vehicle, but an adult rear-seat passenger is under no statutory duty, so the 5 percent argument is not available against her at all. Exempt vehicles include buses, motorcycles and mopeds, and a passenger with a physician's written verification is exempt. The section does not affect PIP benefits, which are paid without regard to fault.
Text of MCL 257.710e
Sec. 710e.
(1) This section does not apply to an operator or passenger of any of the following:
(a) A motor vehicle manufactured before January 1, 1965.
(b) A bus.
(c) A motorcycle.
(d) A moped.
(e) A motor vehicle, if the operator or passenger possesses a written verification from a physician that the operator or passenger is unable to wear a safety belt for physical or medical reasons.
(f) A motor vehicle that is not required to be equipped with safety belts under federal law.
(g) A commercial or United States Postal Service vehicle that makes frequent stops for the purpose of pickup or delivery of goods or services.
(h) A motor vehicle operated by a rural carrier of the United States Postal Service while serving the carrier's rural postal route.
(2) This section does not apply to a passenger of a school bus.
(3) Each operator and front seat passenger of a motor vehicle operated on a street or highway in this state shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt, except that a child who is less than 13 years of age must be protected as required in section 710d.
(4) If there are more passengers than safety belts available for use, and all safety belts in the motor vehicle are being utilized in compliance with this section, the operator of the motor vehicle is in compliance with this section.
(5) Except as otherwise provided in section 710d, each operator of a motor vehicle transporting a child 13 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age in a motor vehicle shall secure the child in a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt and seated as required under this section. If the motor vehicle is transporting more children than there are safety belts available for use, all safety belts available in the motor vehicle are being utilized in compliance with this section, and the operator and all front seat passengers comply with subsection (3), the operator of a motor vehicle transporting a child 13 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age for which there is not an available safety belt is in compliance with this subsection if that child is seated in other than the front seat of the motor vehicle. However, if that motor vehicle is a pickup truck without an extended cab or jump seats, and all safety belts in the front seat are being used, the operator may transport the child in the front seat without a safety belt.
(6) The operator of a motor vehicle shall wear a lap belt, but is not required to wear a shoulder harness, if the operator is operating the vehicle for the purpose of performing road construction or maintenance in a work zone.
(7) If the office of highway safety planning certifies that there has been less than 80% compliance with the safety belt requirements of this section during the preceding year, enforcement of this section by state or local law enforcement agencies must be accomplished only as a secondary action when an operator of a motor vehicle has been detained for a suspected violation of another section of this act.
(8) Failure to wear a safety belt in violation of this section may be considered evidence of negligence and may reduce the recovery for damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or operation of a motor vehicle. However, that negligence must not reduce the recovery for damages by more than 5%.
(9) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.
(10) A law enforcement agency shall conduct an investigation for all reports of inappropriate enforcement that result from the enforcement of this section.
(11) The secretary of state shall promote compliance with the safety belt requirements of this section at the branch offices and through any print or visual media determined appropriate by the secretary of state.
(12) It is the intent of the legislature that the enforcement of this section be conducted in a manner calculated to save lives and not in a manner that results in the inappropriate enforcement of this section against the citizens of this state.
(13) Points must not be assessed under section 320a for a violation of this section.
History: Add. 1985, Act 1, Eff. July 1, 1985 ;-- Am. 1989, Act 3, Imd. Eff. Apr. 6, 1989 ;-- Am. 1990, Act 90, Eff. Mar. 28, 1991 ;-- Am. 1991, Act 25, Imd. Eff. May 20, 1991 ;-- Am. 1999, Act 29, Eff. Mar. 10, 2000 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 43, Eff. July 1, 2008 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 460, Eff. Apr. 5, 2017 ;-- Am. 2024, Act 21, Eff. Apr. 2, 2025
Source: MCL 257.710e at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 edition of the Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 19, 2026.
Sections this one refers to
- MCL 257.710d: Child Car Seats and Booster Seats
Sections that refer to this one
- MCL 257.710d: Child Car Seats and Booster Seats
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
This article is general information about Michigan personal injury law. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Michigan attorney about your specific situation. The laws, deadlines, procedures, and frameworks here are general guidelines that may or may not apply to your case.
Every personal injury case turns on its own unique facts. The timing, the parties, the evidence, the jurisdiction, the insurance available, and dozens of other variables can change the legal analysis. Do not rely on anything written on this website to make decisions about your case.
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