In New York State, which occupants of a vehicle must wear seat belts or suitable child restraints?

New York State law requires all passengers under the age of 16 to wear seat belts or suitable child restraints. Also, all front-seat occupants (including the driver) must wear seat belts. Still, even adults in the rear seat should consider wearing seat belts. A study conducted in 2015 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Children's Hospital of Philadephia found that unrestrained rear-seat occupants were nearly eight times as likely to sustain a serious injury in a crash as restrained rear-seat occupants.