Who is responsible for ensuring passengers are wearing seatbelts?

The correct answer emphasizes the driver's responsibility for ensuring that all passengers in the vehicle are wearing their seatbelts. This obligation reflects a key aspect of road safety and is rooted in the understanding that the driver has a critical role in the overall safety of the passengers. While passengers are encouraged to take personal responsibility, the law places the onus on the driver to make sure that everyone, particularly minors, is properly buckled up.

This responsibility is designed to create a safer driving environment by promoting compliance with seatbelt regulations, which have been proven to significantly reduce injuries and fatalities in accidents. In many jurisdictions, including Belgium, failing to ensure that passengers are wearing seatbelts can lead to legal implications for the driver, reinforcing the necessity of this responsibility.

While passengers indeed have an obligation to wear seatbelts, the driver is in the best position to ensure that this safety measure is observed for everyone in the vehicle. The vehicle owner’s role and law enforcement’s duties are separate matters in this context, focusing instead on regulations and penalties rather than immediate passenger safety in the car.