The in basket: Brenda Byrd writes, “I am a pickup truck owner
(Dodge Dakota) and I would like for you to clarify the law on
passengers riding in the bed of the pick-up truck even if they are
sitting down.
It doesn’t make a bit of sense to me why seat belts are
required for people
inside the truck and not required for anyone riding in the bed of
the truck.
The in basket: Brenda Byrd writes, “I am a pickup truck owner
(Dodge Dakota) and I would like for you to clarify the law on
passengers riding in the bed of the pick-up truck even if they are
sitting down.
“Ever since I have been in the state of Washington, I always
thought it was against
the law for passengers to ride in the back of a pick up truck,
especially seeing there are no seat belts back there. A couple
weeks ago this subject came up
and several people said that if there are no seat belts available
inside the
truck for a person to use then it was OK for that person to ride in
the back
of the truck. A state trooper who goes to my church confirmed
that.
It doesn’t make a bit of sense to me why seat belts are required
for people
inside the truck and not required for anyone riding in the bed of
the truck.
The out basket: Brian George of the State Patrol in Bremerton says
no one under 16 years of age can ride unrestrained in the bed of a
pickup truck for any reason.
Adults can, but only if every seat belt inside the cab of the truck
is in use.
I would imagine the lack of factory-equipment seat belts in the
beds of pickup trucks has something to do with the exception to the
rule.
The beds of pick ups are not made for children or adults. Truck beds are designed to haul materials and gear. Another idea to make the beds of trucks safer is to add a truck rack. There are many different types of racks that include side bars so no matter what type of cargo you have in the bed of the truck is will be less likely to fall out. We also have very thick straps you can use to secure anything* to the bed of a truck.
Never carry anyone in the bed of a truck unrestrained. For your states requirements see http://www.bedryder.com.