Tennessee safety belt law — Tennessee Permit Test

Safety belts are required for all drivers and all front-seat passengers any time the vehicle is moving.

A short trip to the store is when many crashes happen, so the belt goes on every time the car moves.

Safety belts are required for ALL drivers and all passengers in the FRONT seat, any time the vehicle is in motion.

Officers can stop and ticket drivers solely for not following the safety belt and child restraint laws.

You do not have to be speeding to get pulled over. An unbuckled seat belt is reason enough.

Officers can stop and ticket drivers solely for disobeying Safety belt and Child Restraint Device (CRD) laws.

Back-seat passengers under 17 years old must wear safety belts.

In a crash an unbelted teen in back is thrown forward into the people in the front seats.

If the passengers are under 17 years old.

If the driver has a learner permit or intermediate license, back-seat passengers between 4 and 17 must wear safety belts.

A new driver is more likely to crash, so the young riders in back have to be buckled too.

If the driver has either a learner permit or an intermediate license, and when the passengers are between four and 17 years old.

The driver is responsible for restraining children under 16 and may be fined $50.00 if they are not properly restrained.

Kids cannot be counted on to buckle themselves. The law puts that job on whoever is driving.

If children under age 16 are not properly restrained, the driver may be charged and fined $50.00 for violation of the law.

If the child's parent or legal guardian is in the car but not driving, the parent or guardian is responsible for the child being properly transported.

Having a parent along does not let the parent off the hook. They can be fined, not just the driver.

If the child’s parent or legal guardian is present in the car but not driving, then the parent or legal guardian is responsible for making sure that the child is properly transported and may be fined for non-compliance.

Not using a car seat or booster seat for a child under 9 or under 4 feet 9 inches can be charged as a Class C misdemeanor, with a required class on transporting children.

The penalty is stiffer here because small children are the ones most badly hurt when not in a car seat.

The driver can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, required to attend a class on safely transporting children and required to pay possible fees and fines.

A child in a medically prescribed modified restraint should ride with a copy of the doctor's prescription in the vehicle at all times.

Without the paper, an officer has no way to know the unusual seat was ordered by a doctor.

A copy of a doctor’s prescription should be carried in the vehicle utilizing the modified child restraint device (CRD) at all times.

Who must wear a safety belt any time the vehicle is in motion?

All drivers and all front-seat passengers. A short trip to the store is when many crashes happen, so the belt goes on every time the car moves. Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.31: “Safety belts are required for ALL drivers and all passengers in the FRONT seat, any time the vehicle is in motion.”