Except for New Hampshire, all states and the District of Columbia require adult front-seat occupants of motor vehicles to use seat belts. Adult rear-seat passengers are also covered by the laws in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Children are covered by separate laws.

State seat belt laws are divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary seat belt laws allow law enforcement officers to stop a motor vehicle and to issue a ticket or citation to a driver or passenger for not wearing a seat belt without any other traffic offense having occurred. Secondary seat belt laws only allow law enforcement officers to issue a ticket or citation for not wearing a seat belt when there has been another traffic offense by an occupant of the vehicle for which the occupant may be issued a ticket or citation.

In North Carolina (NC), seat belt use is mandated by law for drivers and all passengers, and the state enforces primary seat belt laws. This means that law enforcement officers have the authority to stop a vehicle and issue a citation solely for a seat belt violation without the need for any other traffic offense to have occurred. North Carolina General Statute § 20-135.2A requires that each driver and front-seat passenger of a passenger vehicle, manufactured after December 31, 1967, wear a properly fastened seat belt. Additionally, the law extends to rear-seat passengers, making it compulsory for adults in the back seats to also use seat belts. For children, North Carolina has specific child passenger safety laws, often referred to as child restraint laws, which require children to be secured in an age- and size-appropriate restraint system. The requirements for child restraints vary based on the child's age, weight, and height, and these are detailed in North Carolina General Statute § 20-137.1.