Riding in Pickup beds

There is no Illinois Law at this time which specifically prohibits passengers from riding in the cargo bed of a pickup. However, the seat belt laws do restrict who can ride in the bed. The Child Passenger Safety act requires that children under the age of 16 be fastened in a seat belt or child safety seat, so no one under 16 can ride in the pickup bed.
In addition, if the driver of the pickup is under 18, all passengers under age 19 must be in approved seat belts, so unless the truck has factory mounted seats in the bed, no persons under 19 can ride there.

Please remember, however, riding in the bed of a pickup truck is dangerous business. The cargo bed is meant for just that- Cargo, not human passengers. I believe that the only reason we don't have a law against this practice is because farmers sometimes use their pickup beds to transport people from one field to another. I grew up on a dairy farm, and I can tell you that- (not knowing better at the time) I rode in a pickup bed while working on the farm. I have since learned better, and can also tell you some horror stories of people who have been maimed or killed in accidents involving pickup bed riding. Even at low speeds, a fall from the pickup bed can be deadly.