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S854 • 2026

Safety Belt Violations

Safety Belt Violations

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Senator Massey
Last action
2026-01-28
Official status
Referred to Committee on Judiciary ( Senate Journal-page 6 )
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Safety Belt Violations

Safety Belt Violations

What This Bill Does

  • Safety Belt Violations

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Introduced and read first time ( Senate Journal-page 6 )

  2. 2026-01-28 Senate

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary ( Senate Journal-page 6 )

Official Summary Text

Safety Belt Violations

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
2025-2026 Bill 854: Safety Belt Violations - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
S. 854
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Massey
Document Path: SR-0510KM26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on January 28, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Safety Belt Violations
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

1/28/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 6
)

1/28/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 6
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
01/28/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
56-5-6540
, RELATING TO PENALTIES FOR SAFETY BELT VIOLATIONS, SO AS TO
PROVIDE THAT VIOLATIONS ARE ADMISSIBLE AS EVIDENCE IN A CIVIL ACTION IF THE
VIOLATION IS A PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE CLAIMED DAMAGES.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
56-5-6540
(C) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:

(
C) A violation of this article
is not negligence per se or contributory negligence, and
is

not
admissible as evidence in a civil action
if the violation is a proximate cause of the claimed damages
.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on January 28, 2026 at 1:48 PM