Outlier in Europe
In all European countries, wearing a seatbelt is mandatory in every seat equipped with one. However, there is one exception: Monaco. Why?
The seatbelt obligation in Europe has been an accepted fact for many decades. Some countries have exceptions, for example, with a medical exemption, for taxi drivers, or when reversing or parking. But there is no European country where you don’t have to wear a seatbelt. Apart from Monaco.
The reason is the official maximum speed of 50 km/h. That maximum is already remarkable enough: Monaco probably has the highest concentration of sports cars — and even super- and hypercars — in the world.
Traffic safety experts often describe the lack of a seatbelt obligation in Monaco as outdated, given the current traffic situation, and now there are politicians who agree. “Even at 50 km/h, our roads invite speed,” said national councilor Jade Aureglia, quoted by the newspaper Nice Matin . “And we are known as a country of race circuits and speed.”
More and more politicians are therefore advocating for an obligation. During the discussion about a new traffic safety law in Monaco, some council members spoke out in favor of change.
One council member suggested making wearing seatbelts mandatory at least in the evening, because alcohol consumption then creates a greater risk. The proponents of the belt are in the minority.
According to Patrick Rinaldi, chairman of the Monegasque traffic safety association, the lack of a seatbelt obligation is a ‘monumental mistake’. In an interview with L’Observateur de Monaco in 2024, he pointed out that even low-speed collisions can be fatal and that wrong habits have arisen over the years.
He also emphasized the lack of alcohol and speed checks in the principality: there are no fixed speed cameras, few roadside checks, and speeds above 100 km/h are regularly measured in the Fairmont tunnel.
In 2023, there were six fatalities on the Monegasque roads, which reignited the debate.
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