Roadwise States Massachusetts Driving lessons Safety Belt Law Massachusetts driving lesson · Vehicle & Passenger Safety
Safety Belt Law A 4-minute lesson from the Massachusetts 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 Vehicle & Passenger Safety
Checkpoint questions 6
Source pages 43, 44, 45, 46 Safety belts are your best protection in a crash: worn correctly, they lower the chance of death or serious injury by about 50 percent. Massachusetts law requires belts for nearly everyone riding in a passenger vehicle.
Know the rule
Everyone riding in a passenger motor vehicle, including vans and small trucks under 18,000 lbs., must wear a safety belt or sit in a child passenger restraint.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Know the rule
You can only get a safety belt fine when you are stopped for a traffic violation.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Not required to wear a safety belt: Drivers and passengers of vehicles made before July 1966 Drivers of taxis, liveries, tractors, buses, and trucks of 18,000 lbs. or more (some commercial drivers must) Passengers of emergency vehicles, and drivers of police and fire vehicles A U.S. Postal Service employee driving a motor vehicle while working A person physically unable to wear a belt because of a disability certified by a physician Handbook p. 43 ↗ A lap and shoulder belt worn correctly Know the rule
A lap belt should fit low, tight and flat over the hips, and not be twisted. A shoulder belt goes across the shoulder and chest, never under the arm or across the face or neck. It's best to wear both.
Handbook p. 45 ↗ In a crash, your belt: Stops you from hitting the windshield, dashboard, steering wheel or other passengers Keeps you from being thrown out: lap and shoulder belts make surviving a crash five times better Keeps you behind the wheel and in control, so you can avoid a worse crash Handbook p. 45 ↗ 30 mph Hitting the windshield at this speed is like falling from the third story of a building
Handbook p. 45 ↗ Belt myths vs. facts: "I'll be trapped": a belt keeps you conscious; unbuckling takes under a second, even upside down "I have air bags": air bags work with belts, and front air bags only help in head-on crashes "It's a short trip": most crashes happen less than 25 miles from home "I'm going slow": eight out of ten crashes happen at 40 mph or less Handbook p. 45 ↗ Know the rule
Motor vehicle crashes are the easiest cause of child death to prevent, and children and small pets are often crushed by unbelted adults in a crash.
Handbook p. 46 ↗ Put it into practice
You're driving your 14-year-old neighbor and your 17-year-old sister, and neither buckles up. If you're stopped for speeding, you can be fined $25 for the 14-year-old, and your sister can be fined $25 herself.
A useful reminder Every belt fine is $25, but for passengers aged 12 to 15 the driver pays.
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 can a driver be fined for not wearing a safety belt? $10 $50 $100 $25 Answer: $25
A driver not wearing a safety belt can be fined $25.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ When can a police officer ticket you specifically for a safety belt violation? Only when you're already stopped for another violation Any time they see you unbelted Only at DUI checkpoints Only if you're under 21 Answer: Only when you're already stopped for another violation
Safety belt violations are secondary offenses; you can only be ticketed if stopped for something else.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Which of these drivers is exempt from the Massachusetts safety belt law? A driver of a personal SUV A driver of a truck weighing 18,000+ pounds A driver of a passenger sedan A driver of a minivan Answer: A driver of a truck weighing 18,000+ pounds
Drivers of taxis, liveries, tractors, buses, and trucks 18,000 lbs or more are exempt from the belt law.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ A driver can be fined $25 for each unbelted passenger in which age range? Ages 16 to 18 Ages 8 to 11 Ages 12 to 15 Any age under 18 Answer: Ages 12 to 15
The driver is fined $25 for each unbelted passenger aged 12, 13, 14, or 15.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Vehicles manufactured before what date are exempt from the safety belt law? January 1970 July 1975 January 1960 July 1966 Answer: July 1966
Drivers and passengers of vehicles made before July 1966 do not need to wear safety belts.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ A driver of a taxi is exempt from the Massachusetts safety belt law. True False Answer: True
Drivers of taxis and liveries are listed among the belt law exemptions.
Handbook p. 43 ↗ Previous lesson Junior Operator Permit Suspensions & Extra Penalties Next lesson Child Passenger Restraints & Air Bags More in Vehicle & Passenger Safety About the source Roadwise’s Massachusetts course uses the driver handbook edition supplied with this study pack. This lesson cites source pages 43, 44, 45, 46. 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 Massachusetts’s RMV. Roadwise provides study material and does not issue permits or licenses.
