Vehicle Equipment, Safety Systems, and Occupant Protection
What the exam tests
Equipment and occupant-protection questions cover seat belts, child restraints, airbags, ABS, lights, and basic vehicle condition. Georgia's child-restraint and seat-belt rules are frequently tested because age, weight, and seating position all matter.
Core rules
- Seat belts: Georgia requires front-seat occupants and all passengers under 18 to be restrained. The driver is responsible for properly securing children.
- Child restraints: children under 8 must be in an approved child safety seat or booster, in the rear seat if available. Infants under 1 year and under 20 pounds should be rear-facing. Children 8 to 17 must use a seat belt.
- Airbags: airbags supplement belts; they do not replace them. A rear-facing child seat should not be placed in front of an active airbag.
- ABS: in a panic stop, apply firm, continuous pressure; do not pump the brake. You may feel pulsing.
- Lights and tires: headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and when visibility is poor; check tire tread and pressure regularly. Also check brake lights, turn signals, horn, mirrors, and wipers.
Worked example
A 6-year-old who weighs 45 pounds rides in the front seat with an adult seat belt. Reasoning: Georgia requires a child under 8 to be in an approved child seat or booster, and in the rear seat if available. The adult belt alone does not meet the law, and the front seat increases airbag risk. The correct choice is a booster in the rear seat.
Traps that cost marks
- Putting a rear-facing seat in front of an active airbag.
- Using an adult belt on a young child because the child fits.
- Pumping ABS brakes, which reduces braking.
- Forgetting that a seat belt behind the back or under the arm is both unsafe and a violation.