California · Handbook chapter 8 · 4 min read

California seat belt rules, how to wear a belt correctly, child car seat requirements by age and height, air bag distances, and the law on leaving children and pets in a vehicle.

Why this chapter matters

This is a short section of the handbook, but it is packed with exact ages, heights and distances that make straightforward test questions. Learn the three child-seat stages and the 10-inch air bag rule.

Seat belts

• You and every passenger must wear a seat belt. You can be ticketed if you do not.
• As the driver, you can also be ticketed if a passenger under 16 is not belted.
• In a crash, the vehicle stops but your body keeps moving at the same speed until something stops it. In a side impact, you can be thrown one way and then rebound the other. A lap and shoulder belt keeps you in place, helps you keep control and improves your chance of surviving most collisions.

Wearing a belt correctly

• The shoulder belt crosses your shoulder and chest with little or no slack. Never put it under your arm or behind your back.
• The lap belt should be snug and sit low across your hips, or you could slide out of it in a crash.
• If you are pregnant, wear the lap belt as low as possible under your abdomen, with the shoulder strap between the breasts and to the side of the bump.

Child passenger restraints

Children must ride in a federally approved child restraint or safety belt, depending on age and height.

A child under 8 may ride in the front seat in an approved restraint only if:

• The vehicle has no rear seat.
• The rear seats are side-facing jump seats or rear-facing seats.
• The restraint cannot be installed properly in the rear seat.
• All rear seats are already taken by children 7 or younger.
• Medical reasons keep the child out of the back seat.

Your local police or fire department can check that a car seat is installed correctly. Recheck the fit as your child grows.

Air bags

• Air bags can help keep you safer than a seat belt alone.
• Sit at least 10 inches from the air bag cover, measured from the center of the steering wheel to your breastbone, while still keeping full control. Passengers should also sit at least 10 inches from the passenger air bag.
• If you cannot sit 10 inches back, ask your dealer or the manufacturer for advice.
• Children sitting next to a side air bag can be seriously or fatally injured.

Children and pets left in vehicles

• It is illegal to leave a child aged six or younger alone in a vehicle. The child may be left with someone at least 12 years old.
• Leaving children or animals in a hot vehicle is dangerous and illegal. The inside of a parked car heats up fast in the sun, even with a window cracked open, and can cause dehydration, heat stroke and death.