Kentucky · Handbook chapter 5 · 5 min read

Tire checks, seat and mirror set-up, Kentucky's seat belt and child seat laws, air bags, securing a load, driver assistance features, hand position, starting, stopping and backing.

Why this chapter matters

What you do before you move off, from buckling up to adjusting mirrors, keeps you alive in a crash. Learn the figures: 1981, 10 inches, 12 to 16 degrees, 40 and 57 inches, age 8, age 12 and 9 and 3 o'clock.

Checking your vehicle

• Tire pressure: check monthly with a gauge, when the tires are cold, against the PSI number on the sticker inside the driver's door jamb.
• Tread: put a penny into the deepest groove with Lincoln's head first. If you can see all of his head, the tires are too worn and must be replaced.
• Keep the windshield, windows and mirrors clean, keep washer fluid topped up, and clear snow, ice and frost from all windows before driving.
• Do not hang anything from the mirror or clutter the glass with decals. Excessive window tint is not allowed.

Seat and mirrors

• Sit upright, back against the seat. Your heel should stay on the floor as your foot pivots between the pedals.
• Keep about 10 inches between your chest and the steering wheel. The top of the wheel should be no higher than your shoulders.
• Adjust the head restraint so it touches the back of your head, not below ear level, to prevent whiplash.
• The inside mirror is your main view to the rear: frame the rear window in it.
• Set the left mirror with your head against the window, and the right mirror with your head over the center console, so you barely see your own car's side. This adds 12 to 16 degrees of view on each side.

Seat belts

Kentucky law says no one may drive a vehicle built after 1981 unless the driver and all passengers wear a properly fastened seat belt, except children in an approved child restraint. The law is primary: police can stop you just for not wearing one.

• The shoulder belt goes across your shoulder and chest, never under your arm or behind your back.
• The lap belt sits snug and low across your hips.
• You are about five times more likely to survive a crash if you stay inside the vehicle.

Air bags

• Air bags supplement seat belts; always wear your belt too.
• An air bag inflates in about 1/20 of a second. The powder it releases is a drying agent, not smoke.
• Move the driver's seat as far back as you can while still driving safely, keep hands on the outside of the wheel, and keep passengers' feet and items off the dashboard.
• Children 12 and under should ride in the back seat. Never put a rear-facing child seat in front of an active passenger air bag.

Child passenger safety

The fine is $50 plus a $10 fee for the Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund. Free help installing seats is offered at Kentucky State Police posts. Leaving a child under 8 in a vehicle in conditions that create a grave risk of death is a crime.

Securing your load

A load is secure only when nothing can slide, shift, fall, sift onto the road or become airborne. Tie it down with rope, netting or straps, cover it with a tarp, do not overload, and secure animals too.

Driver assistance features

Blind spot warning, backup cameras, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and lane keeping can help, but they do not drive the car. They may not work well in rain, snow, ice, fog, hills or curves. You cannot use parking assist or cruise control on your road test.

Basic control

• Starting: foot on the brake, gear selector in park, then switch on and check the gauges and warning lights.
• Moving off: shift to drive, check around you, signal, and press the accelerator gently with your heel on the floor.
• Hands: at 9 and 3 o'clock, on the outside of the wheel, thumbs along its face. The old 10 and 2 position is no longer recommended because of air bags.
• Steering: always turn the wheel the way you want the vehicle to go, forward or in reverse.
• Backing: check behind the car before getting in, then put your left hand at 12 o'clock, your right arm on the seat back, and look through the rear window. Back slowly; mirrors do not show the area just behind you.