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Illinois driving lesson · Stops, Belts, Speed & Special Zones

Seat belts, air bags and child passengers

A 3-minute lesson from the Illinois 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
Stops, Belts, Speed & Special Zones
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
26, 27

Seat belts and child seats are your best protection in a crash. Air bags only work together with belts. In Illinois, the driver is responsible for making sure every passenger is properly buckled.

Age 8+

All drivers and passengers, front and back seats, must wear safety belts, even with air bags

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Know the rule

Passengers under age 8 must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system under the Child Passenger Protection Act.

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Know the rule

If a passenger's disability or medical condition keeps them from buckling up, the driver must secure and adjust their belt. The driver is responsible for ALL passengers obeying the belt law and the Child Passenger Protection Act.

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Wearing the belt correctly:

  • Lap belt across the hip bones, never across the stomach or soft abdomen
  • Shoulder strap as snug as possible while you can still reach the controls
  • Adjust the shoulder strap so it crosses your body comfortably
  • Never put the shoulder strap behind your back or under your arm
Handbook p. 26 ↗
10-12 inches

Desirable distance between the driver and the air bag, especially for short, elderly or pregnant drivers

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Air bag safety:

  • Passengers should move seats as far back as possible, tilting slightly back if needed
  • Children 12 and younger should ride properly secured in the back seat
  • A child under 8 who must ride in front with an active air bag: proper child seat, seat all the way back
  • Never install a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air bag
  • Some vehicles, such as pickups, let you turn off the passenger air bag
Handbook p. 26 ↗

Know the rule

The Child Passenger Protection Act requires all children under age 8 to be properly secured in an appropriate child safety restraint system, including booster seats.

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Know the rule

Booster seats may only be used with a lap/shoulder safety belt.

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Know the rule

If the back seat has no lap/shoulder belts, a child weighing more than 40 pounds may ride in the back seat with a lap belt only, without a booster seat.

Handbook p. 26 ↗

Know the rule

Since Jan. 1, 2019, children must ride in a rear-facing child restraint until age 2, unless they weigh more than 40 pounds or are more than 40 inches tall.

Handbook p. 27 ↗

Put it into practice

You're driving an older car whose back seat has only lap belts. Your 6-year-old nephew weighs 45 pounds. He may ride in back secured with the lap belt alone, because he's over 40 pounds.

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.

At what age must all vehicle occupants, front and back seat, wear a safety belt in Illinois?
  1. Age 8 and older
  2. Age 12 and older
  3. Age 16 and older
  4. Age 6 and older

Answer: Age 8 and older

The safety belt law covers all occupants age 8 and older.

Handbook p. 26 ↗
A child weighs 45 pounds and rides in a back seat without lap/shoulder belts. What is required?
  1. The vehicle cannot legally be driven
  2. The child must ride in the front seat instead
  3. No restraint is required over 40 pounds
  4. The child may be secured with a lap belt only

Answer: The child may be secured with a lap belt only

Over 40 lbs in a back seat without lap/shoulder belts, a lap belt alone is allowed.

Handbook p. 26 ↗
Illinois law requires children to ride in a rear-facing car seat only until age 1.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

False. Illinois requires a rear-facing child restraint until age 2, unless the child weighs more than 40 pounds or is more than 40 inches tall.

Handbook p. 27 ↗
A passenger has a disability that prevents them from buckling their own seatbelt. Whose responsibility is it to secure them?
  1. It becomes optional for that passenger
  2. The passenger must ride unbelted legally
  3. The driver's
  4. Only a parent may secure them

Answer: The driver's

The driver is responsible for securing a passenger who cannot secure their own belt.

Handbook p. 26 ↗
How should a lap belt be positioned across the body?
  1. Loosely, for flexibility
  2. Behind the back
  3. Across hips, not the stomach
  4. Across the stomach for comfort

Answer: Across hips, not the stomach

A lap belt should sit low across the hip bones, not the soft abdomen.

Handbook p. 26 ↗
What distance between the driver and the steering-wheel air bag does the handbook call desirable?
  1. 4-6 inches
  2. 6-8 inches
  3. 18-20 inches
  4. 10-12 inches

Answer: 10-12 inches

A distance of 10-12 inches between the driver and the air bag is desirable, especially for short, elderly or pregnant drivers.

Handbook p. 26 ↗
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