Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union passengers over the age of 16 traveling in the backseat of a vehicle must wear a seatbelt as of November 1. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the legislation into law on August 11. Under the existing law, passengers over the age of 16 riding in the front seat of a vehicle must wear a belt. Those under the age of 16 are already required to be belted in no matter where they are seated. "We've known for decades that seat belts save lives and with this measure, we are further strengthening our laws and helping to prevent needless tragedies," Cuomo said. New York was the first state to pass a mandatory seat belt law in 1984. The governor's office, citing state Department of Motor Vehicles data, said approximately 16 percent of passengers wore seat belts that year and by 2008 the compliance rate was 89 percent. Read the full story in the Times Union.