Tennessee driving lesson · Vehicle Control & Defensive Driving
Safety belts & child restraints
A 4-minute lesson from the Tennessee course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Tennessee law requires safety belts, car seats and booster seats — and officers can stop and ticket you for these violations alone. Failing to buckle up contributes to more deaths than any other single traffic safety behavior.
Know the rule
Everyone in the front seat — driver and passengers — must wear a safety belt whenever the vehicle is moving.
All car and booster seats must meet federal safety standards and be used as the manufacturer and vehicle instructions say — in the rear seat if possible. For a medically prescribed modified restraint, keep a copy of the doctor's prescription in the car.
If a parent or guardian is in the car but not driving, they're responsible for the child. Failing to use a car or booster seat for a child under 9 or under 4'9" is a Class C misdemeanor and can require a child-transport safety class.
Wear the lap belt low over the pelvis, touching the tops of the thighs, and the shoulder belt across the chest — never under the arm. Pregnant women wear the lap belt below the abdomen and the shoulder belt above the belly.
Myths: belts don't trap you — they take less than a second to undo and help keep you conscious. In a side crash you slide toward the impact, not away, so being unbelted doesn't help.
A child fits an adult belt when their back is against the seat back and knees bend over its edge. The lap belt sits on the upper thighs and the shoulder belt between neck and shoulder — never behind the back or under the arm.
You're driving your 7-year-old cousin, who is 4 feet 3 inches tall. She must ride in a belt-positioning booster seat with the seat belt, in the back seat. If she doesn't, you as the driver face the penalty — a Class C misdemeanor for a missing booster.
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.
In Tennessee, safety belts are required for:
Only the driver, not passengers
Only passengers under 18
Only the driver and children under 16
The driver and all front-seat passengers
Answer: The driver and all front-seat passengers
Safety belts are required for all drivers and all front-seat passengers any time the vehicle is in motion.