Helmets and pickup beds — North Carolina Permit Test

All operators and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds must wear a motorcycle safety helmet that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218.

A motorcycle has no roof and no belt. The helmet is the one piece of the car a rider gets to keep.

All operators and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds must wear a motorcycle safety helmet of a type that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218.

A legal helmet has a thick inner liner of polystyrene foam about one inch thick, a DOT symbol permanently installed by the manufacturer on the back, and a permanent manufacturer’s label inside.

A novelty helmet looks the part and does nothing in a crash. The thick liner and the factory DOT mark are what tell them apart.

A DOT sticker which will show the symbol “DOT” permanently installed by the manufacturer on the back of the helmet.

North Carolina law prohibits children under 16 from riding in the open bed of a pickup truck, and the driver is responsible for compliance.

An open truck bed has nothing to hold a child in. A sudden stop or a swerve throws them out onto the road.

North Carolina law prohibits children less than age 16 from riding in the open bed of a pick-up truck.

The pickup-bed rule has exemptions: an adult in the bed supervising the child, a seat belt installed to a load strength of 5,000 pounds, an emergency, a parade, or an agricultural enterprise.

The exemptions cover the few times a child in a truck bed is watched or strapped in. Speed and trip length are not among them.

If an adult is present in the bed or cargo area of the vehicle and is supervising the child;

Violating the pickup-bed law brings a $25 fine; it is an infraction with no court costs, driver license points or insurance surcharges.

The penalty is small because the law is meant to be a reminder, not a punishment. The real cost is what happens to the child.

Violators are issued tickets and are subject to a fine of $25.

Who on a motorcycle or moped must wear a helmet that meets FMVSS 218?

Both the operator and any passenger. A motorcycle has no roof and no belt. The helmet is the one piece of the car a rider gets to keep. North Carolina Driver Handbook, p.45: “All operators and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds must wear a motorcycle safety helmet of a type that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218.”