Roadwise States Iowa Driving lessons Seat belts, child restraints, and loose objects Iowa driving lesson · Seat Belts, Distractions & Impaired Driving
Seat belts, child restraints, and loose objects A 3-minute lesson from the Iowa course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Read time 3 minutes
Course unit Seat Belts, Distractions & Impaired Driving
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 34, 35 Car crashes are the number one killer of teenagers, and buckling up is the easiest way to avoid being a statistic. Seat belts are the single most effective way to prevent death and injury in a crash—and not wearing one breaks Iowa law.
Know the rule
Everyone should be properly buckled before the vehicle moves. Wear the lap belt snugly across your hips. If pregnant, wear it across the pelvis, as low under the abdomen as possible.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Know the rule
Iowa requires all front-seat occupants to wear seat belts. The law also applies to back-seat passengers under age 18.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Primary offense A violation you can be stopped for by itself. Not wearing a seat belt is a primary offense in Iowa.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Seat belt myths vs. facts: Thrown clear? Your chances of not being killed are much better if you stay inside the car 'It only affects me'? Unbelted, you can become a projectile and injure or kill others in the car 'Only for long trips'? Over half of traffic deaths happen within 25 miles of home 'Belts trap you'? Unbuckling takes under a second, and a belt may keep you conscious to escape Handbook p. 35 ↗ 25 miles Over half of all traffic deaths happen within this distance of home
Handbook p. 35 ↗ Know the rule
Many traffic deaths occur on roads with speed limits of less than 45 mph.
Handbook p. 35 ↗ Know the rule
Even alone in the car, being improperly buckled means a sudden swerve or stop can force you from the driver's seat and likely cause a crash.
Handbook p. 35 ↗ Know the rule
Secure loose objects, and make sure nothing on the floor can roll under the brake pedal and keep you from braking.
Handbook p. 35 ↗ Put it into practice
You're driving your 16-year-old brother, who sits in back, and your 5-year-old cousin. Your brother must buckle up even in back; your cousin must ride in a safety or booster seat—a seat belt alone isn't enough under age 6.
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.
What is the maximum fine per passenger under 18 for a seat belt violation? $50 $100 $200 $25 Answer: $100
The seat belt law is punishable with up to a $100 fine per passenger under 18.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ A child is 8 months old and weighs 18 pounds. How must they be restrained in the vehicle? In a forward-facing booster seat With a standard adult seat belt only In a rear-facing car seat In a forward-facing car seat Answer: In a rear-facing car seat
A child under 1 year old and weighing less than 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system.
Handbook p. 35 ↗ What does it mean that not wearing a seat belt is a 'primary offense' in Iowa? It only applies after a crash has occurred It only applies to commercial drivers It is enforced only with another violation An officer can stop you for that violation alone Answer: An officer can stop you for that violation alone
A primary offense means you can be stopped for the sole purpose of a seat belt violation.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ Which fine amount applies to an adult passenger's seat belt violation, versus a passenger under 18? $100 for an adult, $50 for a passenger under 18 $50 for both regardless of age $100 for both regardless of age $50 for an adult, $100 for a passenger under 18 Answer: $50 for an adult, $100 for a passenger under 18
The fine is up to $50 per adult passenger, and up to $100 per passenger under 18.
Handbook p. 34 ↗ A child under 18 is allowed to ride in the open bed of a moving pickup truck as long as an adult is present. True False Answer: False
A child under 18 cannot ride in the rear of a moving pickup truck, regardless of adult supervision.
Handbook p. 35 ↗ A 10-year-old child must be secured by either a child restraint system or a seat belt, in any seating position. True False Answer: True
Children age 6 up to 18 must be secured by a child restraint or seat belt in all seating positions.
Handbook p. 35 ↗ Previous lesson Blind spots Next lesson Distracted driving and the hands-free law More in Seat Belts, Distractions & Impaired Driving About the source Roadwise’s Iowa course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 34, 35. 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
For current application requirements, fees, appointments, and the format that applies to your age or license type, check Iowa’s DOT. Roadwise provides study material and does not issue permits or licenses.