Arizona · Handbook chapter 2 · 3 min read

Arizona's required vehicle equipment, tire checks for heat, monsoons and snow, the safety belt law, child restraints under 8, air bags and head restraints.

Why this chapter matters

A safe trip starts before the engine does. Arizona's heat, monsoon storms and high-country snow are hard on tires and equipment, and the belt and child seat laws are tested often.

Equipment that must work

Your vehicle may not have defective or missing equipment. Check that these work:

• Brakes, including a foot brake and a parking brake on cars and trucks
• Speedometer, turn signals, horn and emergency flashers
• An intact windshield with working wipers
• Tires in good condition
• Seat belts
• The driver and front passenger side windows

Before moving, adjust your seat, steering wheel and mirrors, then check your signals and brakes.

Other required equipment

• A horn you can hear from 200 feet.
• If your rear view is blocked, at least one outside driver-side mirror showing 200 feet behind.
• A working muffler. Cut-outs and bypasses are illegal.
• Emission controls on 1967 and newer vehicles. If your vehicle fails an emissions test, you have 30 days to fix it and retest.
• Flashing red lights on the front are allowed only on emergency vehicles, school buses and snow plows. Use your hazard flashers whenever you are stopped on the roadway or shoulder.
• Loads must be built or covered so nothing drops, sifts, leaks or escapes.

Tires

• Find the recommended psi (often on the door jamb) and check pressure with a gauge.
• Penny test: put Lincoln's head into a groove where the tread looks lowest. If part of his head is not covered, the tires may need replacing.

Safety belts

• Each front seat occupant must wear a properly adjusted belt while moving (vehicles made after 1972).
• The driver must make every passenger under 16 buckle up.
• The lap belt keeps you from being thrown out; the shoulder belt keeps your head and chest off the dashboard. With an automatic shoulder belt, still fasten the lap belt.

Children

• A child under 5 must ride in a child restraint system.
• Children 5 to 8 stay in a restraint until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall.
• With several children under 8, secure as many in restraints as the space reasonably allows.
• Air bags are unsafe for children under 12; children 12 and under should ride in the back. If one must ride in front, switch off the passenger air bag.

Head restraints

Set adjustable head restraints against the back of your head, level with the middle of your ear, to reduce whiplash in rear-end crashes.