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 Vermont, seat belt use is mandated by law under Title 23, Chapter 13 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated. Vermont operates under a primary seat belt law for front-seat occupants, which means that law enforcement officers can stop a vehicle and issue a citation to the driver or front-seat passengers solely for not wearing a seat belt. The law requires all occupants of a motor vehicle to wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system. For rear-seat passengers, Vermont's seat belt law is secondary, meaning that officers can only issue a citation for not wearing a seat belt if the vehicle has been stopped for another traffic violation. Additionally, Vermont has specific child restraint laws that require children to be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat until they reach certain age and weight thresholds. Violation of Vermont's seat belt laws can result in fines and points on the driver's license.