Roadwise States Indiana Driving lessons Seat belts & child restraints Indiana driving lesson · Parking, Pedestrians & Vehicle Safety
Seat belts & child restraints A 4-minute lesson from the Indiana course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 4 minutes
Course unit Parking, Pedestrians & Vehicle Safety
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 60, 61 Seat belts and child restraints save thousands of lives each year. Indiana requires everyone in the vehicle to buckle up, with a specific list of exceptions.
45 percent Increase in the chance of survival when drivers and front-seat passengers wear seat belts
Handbook p. 60 ↗ 50 percent Cut in the risk of serious injury from wearing a seat belt
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Know the rule
Indiana requires the driver and all passengers to use seat belts at all times when a vehicle is in operation. Bus operators must also wear one.
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Know the rule
Wear your seat belt even in a vehicle with air bags. Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, and without a belt the air bag itself could injure you.
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Sitting properly: Wear the seat belt low on the hips and flat across the collar bone The driver sits at least 12 inches from the steering wheel Head restraints sit higher than the top of your head and as close as possible to the back of it Handbook p. 60 ↗ 12 inches Minimum distance between the driver and the steering wheel
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Seat belt not required (examples), part 1: Medical reasons, with written documentation from a physician A child who must be in a child restraint system Commercial or USPS vehicles making frequent pickup or delivery stops A USPS rural carrier serving a rural route Newspaper route carriers or bundle haulers stopping to deliver A BMV driver examiner giving a permit or license exam Occupants of a farm truck used in normal farming operations Occupants of a vehicle in a parade Handbook p. 61 ↗ Seat belt not required (examples), part 2: Occupants of an RV's living quarters Occupants of an ambulance's treatment area Occupants of a tractor-trailer's sleeping area Non-operators in a municipal waste collection vehicle Non-operators in a truck on a construction site A passenger in a tow truck's cab whose own vehicle is being towed Non-operators in a public utility vehicle during an emergency Handbook p. 61 ↗ Younger than 8 Passengers this age must be secured in a child restraint system, such as a car seat or booster seat
Handbook p. 61 ↗ Know the rule
The explosive power of air bags has killed children and elderly adults under five feet tall. With a passenger-side air bag, the National Safety Council recommends children younger than 12 ride in the back seat.
Handbook p. 61 ↗ Know the rule
Failing to use a seat belt is an automatic failure on the driving skills exam.
Handbook p. 12 ↗ Put it into practice
You're driving your 7-year-old niece in a car with a passenger-side air bag. She must be in a child restraint system, such as a car seat or booster seat, and the National Safety Council recommends she ride in the back seat.
A useful reminder Under 8: child restraint required. Under 12: back seat recommended when there's a passenger air bag.
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.
How much does wearing a seat belt increase your chance of surviving a crash? 10 percent 45 percent 75 percent 25 percent Answer: 45 percent
When worn, seat belts increase the chance of survival by 45 percent.
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Who must wear a seat belt under Indiana law while a vehicle is in motion? The driver, but not the passengers Front-seat passengers only, not rear The driver and all passengers Only passengers younger than 18 Answer: The driver and all passengers
Indiana law requires a driver and all passengers to use seat belts at all times when the vehicle is in operation.
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Passengers younger than what age must be secured in a child restraint system? Four years old Twelve years old Six years old Eight years old Answer: Eight years old
Passengers younger than eight years of age must be properly secured in a child restraint system.
Handbook p. 61 ↗ Why must a seat belt still be worn in a vehicle with air bags? Not buckling up could result in injury from the air bag itself Air bags only deploy when the seat belt is fastened Seat belts are required only in vehicles without any air bags Air bags fully replace the need for seat belts Answer: Not buckling up could result in injury from the air bag itself
A seat belt must be used even with air bags; failure to use one could result in injury from the air bag.
Handbook p. 60 ↗ For a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag, where does the National Safety Council recommend seating children under 12? In the front passenger seat, belted In the back seat In front with the seat pushed back In any seat with a booster Answer: In the back seat
The National Safety Council recommends putting children younger than 12 in the back seat when a passenger air bag is present.
Handbook p. 61 ↗ How far from the steering wheel should the driver sit, according to the handbook? At least 3 inches At least 24 inches At least 12 inches As close as comfortable Answer: At least 12 inches
Driver should sit at least 12 inches away from the steering wheel.
Handbook p. 60 ↗ Previous lesson Pedestrian safety Next lesson Vehicle equipment & warning devices More in Parking, Pedestrians & Vehicle Safety About the source Roadwise’s Indiana course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 60, 61. The linked PDF is a third-party mirror of the handbook, rather than a government-hosted page.
Open the handbook source PDF · View the source edition
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