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New Mexico driving lesson · Your License

Safety belts & child restraints

A 2-minute lesson from the New Mexico course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
2 minutes
Course unit
Your License
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
6

Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to survive a crash. In New Mexico it's also the law for you, and you are responsible for making sure every passenger is buckled or in a child restraint before you drive.

Know the rule

It is illegal in New Mexico to drive without wearing a safety belt.

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Know the rule

Before you drive, fasten your belt, make sure all passengers use belts or child restraints, and lock the doors.

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Know the rule

With a two-part system, wear both the lap belt and the shoulder belt. Wearing either part alone reduces your protection.

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Know the rule

With an automatic shoulder belt, buckle the lap belt too, or you could slide out of the belt in a collision.

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Child restraint law

Child restraint law
ChildRequirement
Under age 12Appropriate safety restraint while moving
Under 24 months, or under 60 poundsSecured in an approved safety device
Handbook p. 6 ↗
Under 12

Children who must wear appropriate restraints while the vehicle moves

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Know the rule

Children should ride in the rear seat. Never secure a child in the front passenger seat, especially if the vehicle has an air bag; a deploying bag could injure the child.

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Know the rule

Some organizations will loan a child safety device if you can't afford one; the Traffic Safety Bureau has details.

Handbook p. 6 ↗

Put it into practice

You're driving a 20-month-old who weighs 25 pounds. The child must be in an approved safety device, and it belongs in the rear seat, never the front passenger seat with an 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.

Is it legal to drive in New Mexico without wearing a safety belt?
  1. Yes, if the trip is under 5 miles
  2. Yes, on rural roads only
  3. No, it is illegal
  4. Yes, if you're over 18

Answer: No, it is illegal

It is illegal to drive without wearing safety belts in New Mexico.

Handbook p. 6 ↗
If your vehicle has a two-part safety belt system, what should you do?
  1. Wear both the lap and shoulder belt
  2. Wear whichever part is more comfortable
  3. Wear only the lap belt in the back seat
  4. Wear only the shoulder belt on short trips

Answer: Wear both the lap and shoulder belt

Wearing either part alone reduces your protection; wear both the lap and shoulder belt.

Handbook p. 6 ↗
Under what weight or age must a child ride in an approved safety device?
  1. Under 12 months old or under 40 pounds
  2. Under 18 months old or under 50 pounds
  3. Under 36 months old or under 80 pounds
  4. Under 24 months old or under 60 pounds

Answer: Under 24 months old or under 60 pounds

Children under 24 months, or weighing less than 60 pounds, must be secured in an approved safety device.

Handbook p. 6 ↗
Up to what age must children wear an appropriate safety restraint while the vehicle is moving?
  1. Under 16
  2. Under 8
  3. Under 10
  4. Under 12

Answer: Under 12

The law requires all children under age 12 to wear appropriate safety restraints while the vehicle is in motion.

Handbook p. 6 ↗
Children should always be secured in the rear seat rather than the front passenger seat.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Children should be secured in the rear seat, never the front passenger side, especially with an air bag.

Handbook p. 6 ↗
A parent wants to seat their 20-month-old, 25-pound child in the front passenger seat. Is this safe?
  1. Yes, if the air bag is manually disabled
  2. Yes, as long as the child is buckled in
  3. No, keep the child in the rear seat
  4. Yes, if the child is facing backward

Answer: No, keep the child in the rear seat

Children should be secured in the rear seat, never the front passenger side, especially with an air bag.

Handbook p. 6 ↗
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