1. Safety belts required. No motor vehicle shall be sold or registered in this state and no motor vehicle registered in this state shall be operated in this state unless such vehicle is equipped with safety belts approved by and conforming to standards established by the commissioner as follows:

1. (a) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after June thirtieth, nineteen hundred sixty-four and designated as a 1965 or later model, at least two safety belts for the front seat;
2. (b) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after June thirtieth, nineteen hundred sixty-six and designated as a 1967 or later model, at least one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat of such vehicle was designed; * (c) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January first, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt for each passenger seat position; * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in writing that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6) * (c) A motor vehicle manufactured or assembled on or after January first, nineteen hundred sixty-eight, at least one safety belt for each passenger seat position. * NB Effective upon repeal (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6) * (d) An altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" which was altered on or after January first, two thousand twenty-one, at least two safety belts for the front seat, and at least one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat of such vehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each passenger seat position. * NB Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in writing that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6) * 1-a. No altered motor vehicle commonly referred to as a "stretch limousine" which was altered prior to January first, two thousand twenty-one shall be sold or registered in this state and no such altered motor vehicle altered prior to January first, two thousand twenty-one registered in this state shall be operated in this state unless such vehicle is retrofitted and equipped with safety belts approved by and conforming to standards established by the commissioner as follows: at least two safety belts for the front seat, and at least one safety belt for the rear seat for each passenger for which the rear seat of such vehicle was designed, and at least one safety belt for each passenger seat position. * NB Effective February 3, 2022; Repealed upon notification that any federal agency determines in writing that chapter 10 of 2020 would render New York state ineligible for the receipt of federal funds or any court of competent jurisdiction finally determines that said chapter would render New York state out of compliance with federal law or regulation (see chapter 10 of 2020 § 6)

5.

1. (a) Passenger seat safety belts for school buses. Every school bus, as defined in section one hundred forty-two of this chapter, manufactured for use in this state on and after July first, nineteen hundred eighty-seven, shall be designed so that all passenger seats on such vehicle are equipped with seat safety belts and increased seat back padding on passenger seats of a type and specification as approved by the commissioner of transportation through the adoption of rules and regulations. Such rules and regulations shall provide that when any contactable surface of the school bus, as specified in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, 49 CFR Section 571.222, is impacted from any direction at twenty-two feet per second by the head form, the axial acceleration at the center of gravity of the head form shall be such that the head form impact requirement shall not exceed eight hundred.
2. (b) Passenger seat safety belts for existing school buses. Any school bus as defined in section one hundred forty-two of this chapter, which is scheduled for retrofitting pursuant to action by a board of education or board of trustees under section thirty-six hundred thirty-five-a of the education law shall be retrofitted so that all passenger seats on such vehicles are equipped with seat safety belts and additional padding of a type and specification as approved by the commissioner of transportation through the adoption of rules and regulations. Such rules and regulations shall provide that when any contactable surface of the school bus as specified in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, 49CFR Section 571.222 is impacted from any direction at twenty-two feet per second by the head form, the axial acceleration at the center of gravity of the head form shall be such that the head form impact requirement shall not exceed eight hundred. Furthermore, the commissioner shall have the power through rules and regulations to exempt certain design school buses from retrofitting. In granting such exemptions, the commissioner shall consider safety factors, structural integrity of the school buses and any other items deemed necessary to preserve the safety and welfare of the school bus passengers. Provided further however that the commissioner of transportation shall not authorize retrofitting of any school bus manufactured prior to April first, nineteen hundred seventy-seven.