New Jersey · Handbook chapter 3 · 6 min read

Chapter 3: Driver responsibility

Seat belts, child seats and air bags, checking your car, carbon monoxide, starting and steering, stopping distances, braking, signals, reversing, turning and parking on hills in New Jersey.

Why this chapter matters

Much of the knowledge test checks the everyday habits that keep you and your passengers safe: who must buckle up, where children sit, how to hold the wheel, how far you need to stop and which way to turn your wheels on a hill. This chapter also holds the skills you show on the road test.

Seat belts

• The driver and every passenger in a passenger vehicle must wear a seat belt.
• Not belting the driver, a front-seat passenger or anyone under 18 is a primary offense: police can stop you for that alone.
• The driver is responsible for passengers under 18. Front-seat passengers 18 and over are responsible for themselves.
• Unbelted back-seat passengers 18 or older can be ticketed under a secondary law, if the car is stopped for something else.
• GDL drivers must make everyone in the car wear a belt.

Belts improve your chance of surviving a crash by about 60 percent. Hitting the dashboard at 30 mph is like falling from the top of a three-story building. Wear the lap belt low across the hips, the shoulder belt over the collarbone and breastbone, and never put two people in one belt.

Child passengers

All children under 8 ride in the rear seat if there is one. A rear-facing seat may never go in front of an active passenger air bag. Breaking the law costs $50 to $75 plus fees. NHTSA advice: children 12 and under belong in the back.

Air bags

Air bags supplement belts in frontal crashes and can inflate at up to 200 mph. Keep at least 10 inches between the center of the steering wheel and your breastbone. "SRS" or "SIR" on the wheel or dash means the car has air bags.

Keeping the car in shape

• Brakes: you should be able to stop within 25 feet at 20 mph. After driving through water, pump conventional brakes gently to dry them. With ABS, test them with steady pressure and never pump.
• Tires: at least 1/16 inch of tread; check pressure when tires are cold; do not mix radials with other types.
• Turn signals: if they fail, use hand signals until they are fixed.
• Backup lights must not be on while the car moves forward.
• Windshield: add-on tint on the windshield and front side windows is illegal.
• Snow and ice: clear the hood, trunk, roof and windows before you drive. A fine of $25 to $75 applies even if nothing falls off; up to $1,500 if falling ice causes injury or damage.
• Idling is limited to three minutes, with fines of $250 to $1,000 per violation.

Carbon monoxide

CO is colorless and odorless and comes from exhaust. It builds up with an exhaust leak, an open trunk or tailgate, holes in the body, a blocked tailpipe (snow, leaves, water) or idling in a garage, even with the door open. Symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion and loss of consciousness. Get the person into fresh air and call 911.

Starting and steering

Walk around the car first: children or objects may hide in blind spots. Before starting, clean the windows, adjust the seat (about an arm's length from the wheel) and mirrors, buckle up, check the car is in park or neutral with the parking brake set, and lock the doors. Set the side mirror so you just see the door handle in its lower corner.

Hold the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock with your thumbs along the rim, which lowers the risk of injury if the air bag fires. Never steer with your hand inside the rim. Hand-over-hand steering is used for turns, curves and skid recovery.

Stopping distances

Stopping distance depends on reaction time, weather, vehicle weight, brakes, tires, road surface and speed. The faster you go, the farther you travel before stopping.

At 60 mph a car covers 88 feet per second. A typical reaction time is three-quarters of a second.

Braking

Use steady, gentle pressure instead of stabbing the pedal. Use your right foot for both brake and gas. With ABS, do not pump or jerk the wheel: an ABS car can lose control at only 35 mph if you brake and yank the wheel together.

Signals and the horn

Signal at least 100 feet before a turn and cancel it afterward. Hand signals, with the arm well out of the window:

• Left turn: arm straight out.
• Right turn: arm bent upward.
• Stop or slow: arm bent downward, palm to the rear.

Cyclists may also signal a right turn with the right arm straight out. A horn should be heard from at least 200 feet; only emergency vehicles may use sirens or bells.

Reversing

Check the path, then turn your head and body to the right and look through the rear window, right arm over the passenger seat, left hand at the top of the wheel. Reverse at walking speed, 2 to 4 mph. On the road test you back about 100 feet in a straight line. Backup cameras are allowed, but proper looking comes first.

Turning

Decide early, move to the proper lane and signal at least 100 feet before turning. If you miss a turn, never back up: take the next one. The three-point turn (K-turn) starts from the right edge of the road: forward with the wheel to the left, reverse with the wheel to the right, then forward again. You will do it on the road test.

Parking

Always set the parking brake and leave the car in park (or reverse or low gear in a manual).

When parallel parking, pull alongside the car ahead about two to four feet away, back slowly with the wheel turned fully right, then fully left, and finish no more than six inches from the curb. Practice between markers about 25 feet apart. You must parallel park on the road test.