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California driving lesson · Vehicle Safety & Distraction

Seat belts

A 3-minute lesson from the California course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Vehicle Safety & Distraction
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
71

In a collision your vehicle stops, but you keep moving at the speed you were traveling until something stops you: the dashboard, the windshield, or your seat belt. Worn correctly, lap and shoulder belts greatly improve your chance of survival.

Know the rule

You and your passengers must wear seat belts. You can get a ticket if you do not.

Handbook p. 71 ↗

Know the rule

If a passenger under 16 years old is not wearing a seat belt, you (the driver) can also get a ticket.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
Under 16

Driver can be ticketed if a passenger this age is unbelted

Handbook p. 71 ↗

Know the rule

Wearing both the lap belt and shoulder harness increases your chance of survival in most types of collisions.

Handbook p. 71 ↗

Know the rule

Seat and shoulder belts keep you in a better position to control the vehicle and may minimize serious injuries.

Handbook p. 71 ↗

Wear your seat belt correctly:

  • Shoulder harness across your shoulder and chest, with little to no slack
  • Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back
  • Lap belt snug and low across your hips, or you might slide out of it in a crash
  • If pregnant: lap belt as low as possible under the abdomen
  • If pregnant: shoulder strap between the breasts and to the side of the abdomen's bulge
Handbook p. 71 ↗

If another car hits your car on the driver's side:

  • 1. You would first be thrown against the driver's side door
  • 2. Then you would rebound and be thrown toward the passenger's side door
Handbook p. 71 ↗
Reaction time and stopping distance diagram
Side impact: thrown toward the door, then rebounding across the seat

Put it into practice

Your 15-year-old passenger tucks the shoulder belt behind their back because it rubs their neck. That's wrong and unsafe, and because they're under 16, you can get the ticket. Have them wear it across the shoulder and chest.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

Can you be ticketed if a passenger under 16 is not wearing a seat belt?
  1. No, only adult passengers count
  2. No, only the passenger is ticketed
  3. Only if the passenger is under 8
  4. Yes, the driver can get a ticket

Answer: Yes, the driver can get a ticket

You can get a ticket if a passenger under 16 years old is not wearing their seat belt.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
How should you wear the shoulder harness of a seat belt?
  1. Across shoulder and chest, snug
  2. Under your arm for comfort
  3. Behind your back to avoid discomfort
  4. Loosely, so you can move freely

Answer: Across shoulder and chest, snug

Wear the shoulder harness across your shoulder and chest with little to no slack; never under the arm or behind the back.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
How should the lap belt be adjusted for proper fit?
  1. Loose across your stomach
  2. Snug and low across your hips
  3. High across your waist
  4. As tight as physically possible

Answer: Snug and low across your hips

Adjust the lap belt so it is snug and lies low across your hips to prevent sliding out in a crash.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
How should a pregnant driver wear her seat belt?
  1. Lap belt high across the belly
  2. Lap belt as low as possible under the abdomen
  3. Shoulder strap under the arm
  4. Lap belt only, no shoulder strap

Answer: Lap belt as low as possible under the abdomen

Pregnant drivers should wear the lap belt low under the abdomen and the shoulder strap between the breasts, beside the bulge.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
In a side-impact collision, what can happen to an unbelted occupant?
  1. They are held in place by the door
  2. The airbag alone keeps them in place
  3. They slide forward under the dashboard
  4. They could be pushed back and forth across the seat

Answer: They could be pushed back and forth across the seat

In a side-impact collision, an unbelted occupant could be pushed back and forth across the seat.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
It is acceptable to wear the shoulder belt behind your back if it feels more comfortable.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back; it must cross your shoulder and chest.

Handbook p. 71 ↗
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