Safe driving and emergencies
Your 6-year-old normally rides in a child passenger restraint system in the back seat. In which situation may the child ride in front, still in that restraint system?
- The rear seats are side-facing jump seats. Correct answer
- The trip is only a few blocks long.
- The child weighs more than 40 pounds.
Why
Children under 8, or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches, belong in a rear seat, secured in a child passenger restraint system. The front seat is allowed, still in an approved restraint system, only in set cases: the car has no rear seat, its rear seats are side-facing jump seats or face backward, the restraint system cannot be installed properly in back, every rear seat is already taken by children 7 or younger, or a medical reason keeps the child out of the back. A short trip is not on that list. Forty pounds is a figure from the rear-facing rule for children under 2, and it does not move anyone to the front. Once a child turns 8 or reaches 4 feet 9 inches, a properly secured safety belt may be used instead.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is The rear seats are side-facing jump seats.
The rule behind this one
Safe driving and emergencies in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on safe driving and emergencies
- Your car runs out of gas on a freeway during the morning commute, in an area covered by the CHP Freeway Service Patrol (FSP). What can FSP do for you?
- Which method does the California Driver's Handbook recommend for keeping a safe following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
- Under California rules, when must you turn on your headlights?
- Your rear wheels begin to skid on an icy road. What should you do first?