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North Carolina driving lesson · Driver Safety & Protecting Passengers

Booster seats, air bags & belt fit

A 3-minute lesson from the North Carolina 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
3 minutes
Course unit
Driver Safety & Protecting Passengers
Checkpoint questions
4
Source pages
24

Air bags save lives, but only when everyone is buckled and children ride in back. An air bag bursts from the dashboard at up to 200 mph, faster than a blink, and can hurt anyone sitting too close to it.

200 mph

Speed at which an air bag can come out of the dashboard

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

Booster seats meeting federal standards should be used for children who've outgrown standard safety seats, until they're big enough for the adult seat belt to fit correctly.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Correct seat belt fit for a child:

  • Lap belt snug across the hips, not the stomach
  • Shoulder belt across the shoulder and chest, not the face or throat
  • If the shoulder belt doesn't fit, use a belt-positioning booster seat
Handbook p. 24 ↗

Child safety points:

  • Children age 12 and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat
  • Infants in rear-facing seats should NEVER ride in front of a passenger-side air bag
  • Small children should ride in back in seats approved for their age and size
Handbook p. 24 ↗

Adult safety points:

  • Buckle up with both lap and shoulder belts on every trip; air bags are supplemental
  • Lap belt under the abdomen and low across the hips
  • Shoulder belt over the collarbone, away from the neck, across the breastbone
  • Move driver and front passenger seats as far back as practical, especially if shorter
Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

The shoulder belt in most new cars can be adjusted on the side pillar to improve fit.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

Safety seats are often available through low-cost rental programs run by local service groups, hospitals and health departments.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Put it into practice

Your 10-year-old wants to ride up front. The handbook's safety points say children age 12 and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat, where the front air bag can't hurt them.

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.

Where should children age 12 and under ride?
  1. Buckled up in a rear seat
  2. In the front seat if wearing a seat belt
  3. Anywhere, if an adult is present
  4. In the front seat only if over 100 lbs

Answer: Buckled up in a rear seat

Children age 12 and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
Where should an infant in a rear-facing child safety seat never ride?
  1. In the rear seat of any vehicle
  2. Front seat with an air bag
  3. Behind the driver's seat
  4. In the middle rear seat

Answer: Front seat with an air bag

Infants in rear-facing child safety seats should never ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
Children age 12 and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat whenever possible.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

This is a stated child safety point in the handbook.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
Booster seats should be used until a child is big enough for what?
  1. Age 18, regardless of size
  2. They can see over the dashboard
  3. They turn 5 years old
  4. The adult belt fits correctly

Answer: The adult belt fits correctly

Booster seats should be used until children are big enough for the seat belt to fit correctly.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
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