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 Tennessee, the state's seat belt laws require that all adult front-seat occupants of motor vehicles use seat belts. Tennessee operates under a primary seat belt law for front-seat occupants, which 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. Additionally, Tennessee law mandates that all passengers under the age of 18 must wear a seat belt or be secured in a child safety seat, regardless of their seating position in the vehicle. For adult rear-seat passengers, Tennessee's seat belt law is secondary, meaning that officers can only issue a citation for not wearing a seat belt if there is another traffic violation. It's important to note that the specifics of these regulations, including fines and exemptions, can be found in the Tennessee Code Annotated.