A Breakdown of the New Mexico Seatbelt Laws

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and is not equivalent to the services of a licensed lawyer. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help, and does not offer legal services. Third party news articles mentioned on our website do not necessarily reflect the views of the company, or the current services that we offer.

The Ultimate Guide to the New Mexico Seatbelt Laws

Data from the New Mexico Department of Health shows that injuries from car crashes are the leading cause of death in the population aged one to 24. What can prevent more fatal injuries during car accidents is the proper use of seatbelts. That is why it's important to understand and obey the New Mexico seatbelt laws. Besides increasing your safety, you will also avoid hefty fines and keep your driving record intact.

In this guide, we will answer your top questions about the NM seatbelt laws such as :

An Overview of the New Mexico Seatbelt Law

New Mexico has a primary seatbelt law that requires all passengers and drivers to have their seatbelts on—regardless of the seating position. Police officers have the authority to stop you for not wearing a seatbelt and issue a citation.

Certain people are exempt from the law, for instance:

  • People with special medical conditions
  • Rural letter carriers on official duty
  • Drivers or passengers in authorized emergency vehicles, public transport vehicles, and school buses

What Do the Mexico Seatbelt Laws Say About Children?

Child passenger safety laws specify the correct restraint device based on your child’s age and size. Under the Mexico seatbelt laws, you are required to properly restrain minors below 18 in federally approved restraint devices or seatbelts as follows:

Age/WeightChild Restraint Device
Up to one yearRear-facing child passenger restraint systems secured in the rear seats
  • One year to four years—regardless of their weight
  • Less than 40 pounds regardless of age
Rear-facing or forward-facing restraint devices
  • Five to six years regardless of weight
  • Less than 60 pounds regardless of age
Appropriate child restraint device or booster seat
Seven to 12 yearsSeatbelts, if they fit properly, or a child passenger restraint system

If a vehicle doesn’t have rear seats, children can be restrained in the front seat after you deactivate the passenger-side airbag. Even though the New Mexico seatbelt laws don’t require it, children should ride in the rear seats at least until they’re 13.

What Is the Fine for Not Wearing a Seatbelt in New Mexico?

The driver is required to ensure all passengers, including children, are properly secured before driving the motor vehicle. Violating the New Mexico seatbelt law or child car seat laws results in a $25 fine for the first offense. Subsequent violations have higher penalties.

Do Seatbelt Tickets Go on Your Driving Record in New Mexico?

New Mexico uses a driving record point system to monitor drivers' behavior. If you are found using an incorrect child restraint system or none at all, you will get two points on your driving record. Accumulating points can result in license suspension and also affect your insurance premiums.

The number of points accumulated affects the duration of your license suspension as follows:

  • Seven to ten points in one year—The license is suspended for up to three months
  • Twelve or more points in one year—You can get your license suspended for a full year

Unfortunately, you cannot take defensive driving courses in New Mexico to reduce the number of points. The New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department will clear them automatically after 12 months.

What To Do if You Get a Seatbelt Ticket

Every traffic offense, including moving violations, results in a penalty. When you receive a seatbelt ticket, you have the following options:

  • Pay the ticket costs and accept the repercussions, for example, two points on your record
  • Ignore the ticket and risk additional penalties and license suspension
  • Dispute the ticket and possibly get it dismissed

How To Dispute a Seatbelt Ticket

If the ticket was issued unfairly, you can dispute it in a traffic court by using one of the following approaches:

  1. Reasonable doubt—Plead not guilty and provide a believable reason why the officer concluded that you had not buckled up. You can only use this method if the officer did not stop you to confirm
  2. Due diligence defense—Plead guilty but provide a justifiable cause for unbuckling—for instance, you were driving in reverse

Looking for a cost-effective and proven system for beating seatbelt tickets? . With our AI-powered app, contesting a ticket is as easy as ABC.

Use DoNotPay if You Need Help With Contesting a Seatbelt Ticket

We know that building a convincing argument is not an easy task. That is why we will do it for you! You will only need to answer a few questions that will help us understand the situation, such as:

  • Who got the ticket? It could be the driver, passenger, or a child
  • Which argument do you want us to use? You can choose between reasonable doubt or a valid excuse

With that information, your appeal letter will be ready and automatically sent to the authorities on your behalf in seconds.

You are only three steps away from saving your driving record and your money:

  1. and sign in
  2. Upload a photo of your ticket
  3. Answer a few questions

Every state has its own seatbelt laws, with the exception of New Hampshire that has children’s seatbelt laws only.

Travel stress-free by learning the seatbelt laws in all states:

GeorgiaNevadaFlorida
TexasPennsylvaniaMaryland
MichiganArizonaIllinois
IndianaDelawareMassachusetts
KansasTennesseeConnecticut
CaliforniaSouth DakotaColorado
UtahRhode IslandLouisiana
District of ColumbiaMississippiNorth Carolina
OregonWisconsinVermont
AlabamaMinnesotaKentucky
IdahoArkansasOhio
VirginiaIowaOklahoma
North DakotaWyomingHawaii
NebraskaWashington StateMaine
West VirginiaMontanaMissouri
AlaskaNew York StateSouth Carolina
New Jersey

DoNotPay’s Assistance at Your Fingertips

DoNotPay is all about easy solutions. Turn to our app when you need to get rid of unwanted services, block spam emails and text spam, and overturn unpaid parking tickets. We can also assist you in registering on platforms without disclosing your number and signing up for free trials using our virtual credit card.

With our app, you’ll forget about old-fashioned ways of completing certain tasks. Let us help you send faxes online, mail letters, reach customer service, and get in touch with an incarcerated loved one.

DoNotPay Has More To Offer

Our app boasts a wide range of products—from filing a warranty claim, requesting a refund, and booking a DMV appointment to getting a document notarized, filing financial aid appeal letters, and fighting discrimination at work.

For DoNotPay users, no problem is too difficult to solve. Here are only some of the tasks our app can help you complete:

Want your issue solved now?