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North Carolina driving lesson · Driver Safety & Protecting Passengers

Helmets, pickup beds & heat or cold risks

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
6
Source pages
24, 25

Some safety laws protect people who ride without a car's shell around them: motorcycle and moped riders, and children in pickup beds. Others protect people and pets left in parked vehicles.

Know the rule

All operators and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds must wear a motorcycle safety helmet that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Signs of a legal helmet:

  • A firm polystyrene foam inner liner about one inch thick
  • A "DOT" symbol permanently installed by the manufacturer on the back
  • A permanent manufacturer's label inside with name, model, size, date, materials and care instructions
Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

A separate "DOT" sticker supplied with a novelty helmet, or bought and added later, does not make the helmet compliant. Non-compliant helmets usually have no liner or thin soft padding.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

Children less than 16 may not ride in the open bed of a pickup truck. The vehicle's operator is responsible for compliance.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Open bed or cargo area

A bed or cargo area without permanent overhead restraining construction.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Pickup bed exemptions:

  • An adult is in the bed or cargo area supervising the child
  • The child wears an approved seat belt (FMVSS 208, 5,000-lb load strength per belt)
  • An emergency situation exists
  • The vehicle is in a parade
  • The vehicle is used in an agricultural enterprise, including trips to and from it
Handbook p. 25 ↗
$25

Fine for the pickup-bed law; an infraction with no court costs, license points or insurance surcharge

Handbook p. 25 ↗
40-50 degrees

How much hotter a parked car's inside can get than the outside temperature

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

Never leave children or animals in a vehicle: even with a window slightly open, heat can cause dehydration, heat stroke and death.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Know the rule

In winter, snow can block the exhaust pipe, and warming up the car can back carbon monoxide into it. Carbon monoxide has no smell, taste or color and can be deadly.

Handbook p. 25 ↗

Put it into practice

You're taking your 12-year-old and her friends to a farm festival in your pickup. They can't ride in the open bed unless an adult rides back there supervising them, or you're in a parade or farm operation.

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 federal safety standard must a motorcycle helmet meet to be legal in North Carolina?
  1. FMVSS 108
  2. FMVSS 218
  3. FMVSS 302
  4. FMVSS 500

Answer: FMVSS 218

All motorcycle and moped helmets must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
What is one sign of a legal, compliant motorcycle helmet?
  1. A thin foam liner with no thickness
  2. A removable sticker bought separately
  3. A permanent factory DOT sticker
  4. No manufacturer's label at all

Answer: A permanent factory DOT sticker

A legal helmet has a DOT sticker permanently installed by the manufacturer, plus a firm inner liner about one inch thick.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
What is generally prohibited for children under age 16 in North Carolina?
  1. Riding in an open pickup bed
  2. Riding in the front seat of any vehicle
  3. Riding with a driver under age 21
  4. Riding in a vehicle without air bags

Answer: Riding in an open pickup bed

North Carolina law prohibits children under age 16 from riding in the open bed of a pickup truck.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
What is the fine for violating the law against children riding in an open pickup bed?
  1. $100
  2. $25
  3. $250
  4. $500

Answer: $25

Violators are issued tickets and are subject to a fine of $25 for this infraction.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
Which of the following is an exemption to the open pickup-bed restriction for children?
  1. The truck is driven under 55 mph
  2. The child is over 10 years old
  3. An adult supervises in the bed
  4. The trip is under 5 miles

Answer: An adult supervises in the bed

Exemptions include an adult present and supervising the child in the bed, among a few other narrow cases.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
About how much can a parked vehicle's interior temperature rise above the outside temperature in warm weather?
  1. 5-10 degrees
  2. 70-80 degrees
  3. 15-20 degrees
  4. 40-50 degrees

Answer: 40-50 degrees

The temperature inside a vehicle can rise approximately 40-50 degrees higher than the outside temperature.

Handbook p. 25 ↗
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