NY Gov. Cuomo wants all back-seat passengers to buckle up

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing to extend the state's seat belt law to require all passengers in the back seat to buckle up.

Under current law, while all passengers in the front seat must wear seat belts, only passengers younger than 16 are required to wear a restraint when riding in the back seat of a motor vehicle.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 28 states and the District of Columbia already have some kind of law on the books mandating back-seat seat-belt usage.

Cuomo, a Democrat, inserted the suggested change in amendments to his proposed state budget for the next fiscal year. Those amendments were announced on Friday.

Lawmakers plan to vote on the budget before April 1.