Assuming no listed exemption applies, North Carolina's seat belt law requires which occupants of a motor vehicle manufactured with seat belts to buckle up while it is moving forward on a public street or highway?
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A.
Passengers under age 16
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B.
Just the person behind the wheel
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C.
The driver and all passengers Correct
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D.
Only front-seat occupants
The answer is "The driver and all passengers"
Subject to the law's listed exemptions, the driver and every passenger must have a seat belt properly fastened whenever the vehicle is in forward motion on a street or highway in this state. Drivers who still picture back-seat belts as optional, a habit from the years before the belt rule reached every row, are the ones who pick 'front-seat occupants only.'
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Passengers under age 16
The rule is not limited to passengers under 16. Children must be properly secured in a child restraint or seat belt as required by the applicable age and weight rules. This answer pulls the under-16 figure from the separate child passenger restraint rule and treats it as the age cutoff for buckling up at all.
B. Just the person behind the wheel
The statute names the driver and all passengers, not the driver alone. This answer carries over the older driver-only belt rules some states kept on the books before passenger coverage was added.
D. Only front-seat occupants
The law reaches every seating position, not just the front row. This answer applies the front-seat-only belt rule that was common in other states for years before back-seat coverage was written into statute.
This question tests your knowledge of Safety Belts & Restraints in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Chapter 4 - Your Driving: Seat Belts," p.43..
Related North Carolina questions
- According to the manual's child safety points, how should children age 12 and under be seated in a vehicle? →
- The manual states one absolute rule about rear-facing infant safety seats. What does it forbid? →
- According to the manual's adult safety points, where should the lap portion of a seat belt be worn? →
- The manual describes the proper path for the shoulder portion of a seat belt. Where should it lie on the body? →
- The seat belt law exempts a driver who frequently stops and leaves the vehicle to deliver property. What condition must apply for this exemption? →
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