Roadwise States Maine Driving lessons Keeping children safe Maine driving lesson · Seat Belts, Air Bags and Child Safety
Keeping children safe A 3-minute lesson from the Maine 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, Air Bags and Child Safety
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 42, 43 Children need the right restraint for their weight, age and height, and they belong in the back seat. An air bag that protects an adult can seriously hurt a small child.
Know the rule
All children age 12 and under must ride in the back seat. Never place a rear-facing child safety seat in front of an active passenger air bag.
Handbook p. 42 ↗ Rules for riding with children: Read your vehicle owner's manual and the child restraint directions The seat must be held in place by the vehicle's belts, and the child correctly buckled into it The back seat is the safest place for a child of any age Infants under age 2 ride in the back seat facing the rear; age two and older face the front Make sure everyone is buckled up; unbuckled occupants can be hurt or killed by an air bag Short, pregnant or elderly drivers and front passengers should sit as far back as possible Handbook p. 42 ↗ Child safety seat A child safety seat that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Handbook p. 42 ↗ Federally approved child restraint system A system that raises a child so he or she can properly sit in a federally approved lap and shoulder belt, meeting federal safety standards.
Handbook p. 42 ↗ Under 55 lbs A child this light must be secured in a child safety seat
Handbook p. 42 ↗ Know the rule
Every passenger 18 or older must be properly secured in a seat belt, and so must the operator.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Seat belt exceptions: A U.S. Postal Service rural mail carrier while delivering mail A taxicab or limousine operator isn't responsible for belting a passenger transported for a fee A newspaper delivery person while delivering papers or making frequent stops Handbook p. 43 ↗ Put it into practice
You're driving your 7-year-old nephew, who weighs 62 pounds. He's between 55 and 80 pounds and under 8, so he needs a federally approved child restraint system (a seat that lifts him to fit the lap and shoulder belt), in the back seat.
A useful reminder Weight lines to memorize: 55 lbs (safety seat), 80 lbs and age 8 (restraint system), 100 lbs and age 12 (rear seat).
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.
Below what weight must a child be secured in a child safety seat? 65 lbs 75 lbs 55 lbs 45 lbs Answer: 55 lbs
A child who weighs less than 55 pounds must be properly secured in a child safety seat.
Handbook p. 42 ↗ Where must all children age 12 and under ride? In front if over 80 pounds Anywhere, if buckled In the front seat with a belt In the back seat Answer: In the back seat
The handbook says all children age 12 and under must ride in the back seat.
Handbook p. 42 ↗ A child who is at least 55 lbs but less than 80 lbs and under age 8 must be secured in what? A rear-facing infant seat A standard adult seat belt only No restraint is required A federally approved child restraint system Answer: A federally approved child restraint system
Such a child must be properly secured in a federally approved child restraint system.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ A child under 12 who weighs less than 100 lbs must ride where, if possible? In front if belted In the rear seat In the front passenger seat Wherever there is room Answer: In the rear seat
The operator must ensure such a child is secured in the rear seat of the vehicle, if possible.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ A child who is under 18 and either older than 8 or taller than 4 feet 9 inches must be secured in what, absent other requirements? A seat belt A harness system only A booster seat only No restraint required Answer: A seat belt
Such a child must be properly secured in a seat belt unless a child restraint or safety seat is otherwise required.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ A newspaper delivery person is exempt from the seat belt requirement while making frequent stops to deliver papers. True False Answer: True
Newspaper delivery persons are exempt while engaged in actual delivery requiring frequent entry and exit.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Previous lesson Seat belts and air bags Next lesson Starting, stopping and steering More in Seat Belts, Air Bags and Child Safety About the source Roadwise’s Maine course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 42, 43. 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 Maine’s BMV. Roadwise provides study material and does not issue permits or licenses.