Vehicle Equipment, Safety Belts, and Child Restraints
Equipment and restraint questions test the legal minimums and the physics behind them: belts, child seats, lights, tires, and brakes.
Seat belts and child restraints
Kentucky requires seat belts for occupants and uses primary enforcement for front-seat occupants; the safest rule is that everyone buckles up. Children under 8 years old and under 57 inches must use an appropriate child restraint or booster. The rear seat is required if available. A rear-facing seat must never be placed in front of an active airbag.
Equipment checks
You need working headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, horn, mirrors, and tires with adequate tread. Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is poor. Windshield wipers must work. A cracked windshield in the driver's line of sight can be a violation.
Worked example
A 7-year-old is 50 inches tall and rides in the front seat. Reasoning: the child is under 8 and under 57 inches, so a booster is required; the front seat is not appropriate if a rear seat is available. The child should ride in the back in a booster with the lap belt low across the hips and the shoulder belt across the chest.
Traps
Putting the shoulder belt behind the back; using a booster with a lap-only belt; placing a rear-facing seat in front of an airbag; and assuming a child is big enough because they are 8 - the 57-inch test also applies.