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 Connecticut, seat belt laws are categorized as primary enforcement laws, which means that law enforcement officers have the authority to stop a vehicle and issue a citation to the driver or passengers solely for not wearing a seat belt. This applies to both front-seat and rear-seat occupants. Connecticut law requires all front-seat occupants to wear seat belts. Additionally, all passengers under the age of 16, regardless of where they are seated in the vehicle, must wear a seat belt or be secured in an appropriate child restraint system. For adult rear-seat passengers, Connecticut does not currently mandate the use of seat belts, although safety recommendations strongly encourage their use. The state also has specific child restraint laws that require children to be in appropriate child safety seats or booster seats, depending on their age, weight, and height.