Vehicle Safety
Vehicle safety checks
Nebraska tests whether you can keep your vehicle legal and safe before and during a trip. Check tires for tread and pressure, test headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, and the horn, and keep the windshield and mirrors clean. Snow or ice on windows, mirrors, or lights must be cleared before driving. Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is poor; use low beams when following or meeting traffic.
Restraints
Nebraska requires safety belts for the driver and front-seat passengers, and all passengers under 18 must be restrained. Children under 8 must use a child safety seat or booster unless they meet the height requirement in current law; children under 2 must be rear-facing unless they exceed the seat's limits. Motorcycle operators and passengers must wear approved helmets.
Worked example
A 6-year-old who is 45 inches tall rides in the back seat. A regular lap-shoulder belt alone is not enough in Nebraska; the child needs an appropriate child safety seat or booster. Check the seat's height and weight limits, install it tightly, and use the tether when the seat allows it.
Traps
Do not put the shoulder belt behind your back. Do not use a child seat that has been in a serious crash or is expired. Do not drive with a frosted windshield "just until it clears." Do not assume a booster seat is optional because the child is tall.