Roadwise States Maryland Driving lessons Insurance, seat belts & child safety seats Maryland driving lesson · Other Important Rules
Insurance, seat belts & child safety seats A 3-minute lesson from the Maryland 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 Other Important Rules
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 26, 52, 53 Maryland requires insurance on every registered vehicle and a belt or child seat for every occupant. Buckling up takes three seconds and is the single most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash.
Know the rule
All motor vehicles registered in Maryland must be insured by a company licensed in Maryland, for personal injury and property damage liability in the amounts required by law.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Know the rule
You must always have a valid insurance identification card with you when driving (it may be electronic). If an officer asks and you refuse to show it, you could be fined.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Up to $2,500 Fine per vehicle, each year, for not keeping insurance on all your vehicles
Handbook p. 53 ↗ Know the rule
By law, the driver and all passengers must wear a safety belt or be buckled in a child safety seat.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Know the rule
Follow all instructions from the manufacturers of your child safety seat and vehicle. Child safety seats include car seats, booster seats and other federally approved devices.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Know the rule
If you can't buy or get a child seat, contact Kids In Safety Seats (KISS) at the Maryland Department of Health, 800-370-SEAT, which coordinates low-cost seat rentals.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ About 90 percent Maryland drivers and passengers who wear their seat belts (goal: 100 percent)
Handbook p. 26 ↗ Put it into practice
You're driving your 7-year-old nephew, who is 4 feet 6 inches tall. He must ride in a child safety seat: he's under 8 and shorter than 4'9".
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 must you always have with you when driving, related to insurance? A valid insurance identification card, which may be electronic A copy of your policy's full terms Your vehicle's title A receipt for your last payment Answer: A valid insurance identification card, which may be electronic
You must always have a valid insurance identification card with you, which may be in electronic format.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Who must wear a safety belt under Maryland's seat belt law? Only the driver The driver and all passengers Only front-seat occupants Only passengers under 18 Answer: The driver and all passengers
By law, the driver and all passengers of a motor vehicle must wear a safety belt or be in a child safety seat.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Until what age must a child ride in a child safety seat, unless they meet a height exception? Under age 5, no exceptions Under age 12, no exceptions Under age 8, unless 4'9" or taller Under age 6, unless 4' tall Answer: Under age 8, unless 4'9" or taller
Children under age 8 must ride in a child safety seat unless they are 4'9" or taller.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ How must children younger than 2 ride, according to the handbook? In any forward-facing car seat In a booster seat only In the front seat with a seat belt Rear-facing, in an approved seat Answer: Rear-facing, in an approved seat
Children younger than 2 must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat that meets federal guidelines.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ What organization can help families who cannot afford a child safety seat? Kids In Safety Seats (KISS) The MVA Equity Office The Zero Deaths program The Driver Wellness Division Answer: Kids In Safety Seats (KISS)
Kids In Safety Seats (KISS), run through the Maryland Department of Health, helps families rent low-cost car seats.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ If a police officer asks for your insurance card and you refuse to show it, you could be fined. True False Answer: True
Refusing to show your insurance card when asked by an officer can result in a fine.
Handbook p. 52 ↗ Previous lesson Medical conditions, supervising drivers & organ donation Next lesson Air bags, anti-lock brakes & headsets More in Other Important Rules About the source Roadwise’s Maryland course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 26, 52, 53. 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 Maryland’s MVA. Roadwise provides study material and does not issue permits or licenses.