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North Carolina driving lesson · Driver Safety & Protecting Passengers

Seat belts & child restraint laws

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
19, 23, 24

No one can be fully protected from a crash. Over a lifetime of driving you face about a one-in-three chance of being seriously injured or killed in one, which is why NC requires everyone to buckle up and children to be properly restrained.

Know the rule

The driver and all passengers in a vehicle made with seat belts must have a belt properly fastened whenever the vehicle is in forward motion on a street or highway.

Handbook p. 23 ↗

Know the rule

Everyone must wear seat belts even if the vehicle has air bags. With automatic shoulder harnesses, the lap belt must also be worn.

Handbook p. 23 ↗

Seat belt law exemptions:

  • A medical or physical condition, or certified phobia, preventing restraint (noncommercial vehicles)
  • Rural USPS letter carriers and newspaper carriers on their routes
  • Frequent-stop delivery if speed between stops doesn't exceed 20 mph
  • Property-carrying vehicles used for agriculture in intrastate commerce
  • Vehicles not required by law to have seat belts
  • Motor home occupants other than driver and front passengers (home has 4+ listed facilities)
  • All seating positions with belts or child restraints are occupied
Handbook p. 23 ↗

Know the rule

Every driver carrying passengers under 16 must make sure each one is secured in a child restraint or seat belt meeting federal standards in effect when it was made.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Child restraint rules

Child restraint rules
ChildRequirement
Under 16Child restraint system or seat belt
Under 8 and under 80 lbWeight-appropriate child restraint system
Under 5 and under 40 lbRear seat if active front air bag and a rear seat*
Under 8, 40–80 lb, no lap/shoulder spotProperly fitted lap belt only
Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

*The rear-seat rule doesn't apply if the child restraint is designed for use with a front air bag.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
7 of 10

Children killed while unrestrained who could be saved by properly used safety seats

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

Only crash-tested child safety seats can prevent these tragedies. Read and follow the manufacturer's instructions, and use the seat every time the child rides.

Handbook p. 24 ↗

Know the rule

The number one threat to the lives of young children is the automobile accident.

Handbook p. 23 ↗
2 points

License points for failing to properly restrain a child

Handbook p. 19 ↗

Put it into practice

You're driving your 6-year-old nephew, who weighs 45 pounds. He's under 8 and under 80 pounds, so he must be in a weight-appropriate child restraint, not just the adult belt.

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.

When must the driver and all passengers have a seat belt fastened?
  1. Whenever the vehicle moves forward
  2. Only on highways
  3. Only at speeds over 35 mph
  4. Only when a passenger is under 16

Answer: Whenever the vehicle moves forward

The driver and all passengers must have a seat belt properly fastened at all times the vehicle is in forward motion.

Handbook p. 23 ↗
If a vehicle has automatic shoulder harnesses, what else must occupants do?
  1. Nothing else is required
  2. Also wear the lap belt
  3. Wear the lap belt only on highways
  4. Wear the lap belt only if under 16

Answer: Also wear the lap belt

If the vehicle has automatic shoulder harnesses, the lap belt must also be worn.

Handbook p. 23 ↗
What restraint is required for a child under age 8 and weighing less than 80 pounds?
  1. Any seat belt is sufficient
  2. No restraint is required if riding in the rear
  3. A weight-appropriate child restraint
  4. A standard adult lap belt only

Answer: A weight-appropriate child restraint

A child under age 8 and weighing less than 80 pounds must be in a weight-appropriate child passenger restraint system.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
With an active passenger-side front air bag and an available rear seat, where must a child under 5 and under 40 lbs ride?
  1. In the front seat, facing forward
  2. In the front seat, rear-facing
  3. Anywhere, as long as buckled
  4. In the rear seat

Answer: In the rear seat

With an active front air bag and a rear seat available, a child under 5 and under 40 lbs must ride in the rear seat.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
Which of the following is listed as an exemption to North Carolina's seat belt law?
  1. Any driver over age 65
  2. Any driver on a rural road
  3. A driver with a medical condition preventing seat belt use
  4. Any driver going under 45 mph

Answer: A driver with a medical condition preventing seat belt use

Exemptions include a medical or physical condition preventing appropriate restraint, among a few narrow categories.

Handbook p. 23 ↗
If no seating position with a lap and shoulder belt is available, how may a child under age 8 weighing 40–80 lbs be restrained?
  1. By a properly fitted lap belt only
  2. The child cannot legally ride in the vehicle
  3. By a shoulder belt only
  4. No restraint is required in this situation

Answer: By a properly fitted lap belt only

If no lap-and-shoulder-belt position is available, a child under 8 weighing 40–80 lbs can be restrained by a properly fitted lap belt only.

Handbook p. 24 ↗
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