QLD PrepL (Prep L) seatbelts and passengers practice questions

Question 1

You are the driver and a 14 year old passenger unclips their seatbelt while you are moving. What must you do?

• Keep driving and ask them to fix it at the next stop
• Drive slower to compensate
• Pull over safely and not continue until they are properly restrainedCorrect answer
• Nothing, passengers are responsible for themselves

The driver carries the legal responsibility for every passenger under 16 being properly restrained.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: seatbelts and child restraints

Question 2

How many people may legally travel in a car?

• As many as can fit inside
• Any number under 18 years old
• Two people per seatbelt if they are small
• One person per seating position with a fitted seatbeltCorrect answer

Each occupant needs their own seat and their own belt. Carrying extra passengers in the boot or footwells is illegal.

Rule cited: Australian Road Rules r 265, as adopted in Queensland

Question 3

A six month old baby is travelling in your car. What restraint is required?

• An approved rearward facing child restraint suited to the child's age and sizeCorrect answer
• An adult seatbelt held by a parent
• A booster seat with a lap belt
• No restraint if the baby is held in the back seat

Children up to six months must be in an approved rearward facing restraint, properly fitted and secured to the vehicle.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: seatbelts and child restraints

Question 4

Why must a seatbelt be worn low and firm across the hips rather than across the stomach?

• It is more comfortable that way
• The hip bones can take crash forces that soft tissue cannotCorrect answer
• It makes the airbag deploy faster
• It stops the belt creasing your clothes

A belt riding high across the abdomen can cause serious internal injuries in a crash. The sash should sit across the chest and shoulder, never under the arm.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: seatbelts and child restraints

Question 5

A five year old child is travelling in your car. What restraint is required?

• An approved forward facing restraint or booster seat suited to the child's size, with the belt correctly fastenedCorrect answer
• An adult lap belt only
• No restraint if the child sits in the middle rear seat
• An adult seatbelt with the sash tucked behind the child's back

Children aged four to seven need an approved forward facing restraint or a booster with a properly positioned belt or child harness.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: seatbelts and child restraints

Question 6

Where must a child under four years old sit in a car that has two or more rows of seats?

• In the front seat, so the driver can watch them
• In a row behind the front row, in an approved restraintCorrect answer
• Anywhere, as long as a restraint is fitted
• On an adult's lap in the rear

Young children must travel in the back rows where they are furthest from the impact zone and from front airbags.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: seatbelts and child restraints

Question 7

An adult passenger aged over 16 refuses to wear a seatbelt. Who commits the offence?

• Nobody, since adults may choose
• The driver alone in every case
• The passenger, because people aged 16 and over are responsible for their own seatbeltCorrect answer
• The vehicle owner, whoever is driving

The driver is responsible for passengers under 16. Either way, an unbelted adult becomes a danger to everyone else in a crash.

Rule cited: Australian Road Rules r 265, as adopted in Queensland

Question 8

Friends ask to ride in the open tray of your ute for a short trip. What is the rule?

• It is allowed under 40 km/h
• It is allowed if they sit down and hold on
• It is allowed on private roads only
• Passengers must not travel in a part of a vehicle that is not built for carrying peopleCorrect answer

Utility trays, boots and load areas have no restraints and no crash protection. Every passenger needs a proper seating position with a belt.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: carrying passengers

Question 9

Why should heavy items and loose luggage inside the car be secured?

• In a sudden stop or a crash they keep moving and can seriously injure the people in the carCorrect answer
• They make the car harder to steer at low speed
• It is only about keeping the interior tidy
• It stops the boot lid from opening on rough roads

An unsecured toolbox or suitcase carries the same speed as the car until something stops it, and that something is often a person.

Rule cited: Your Keys to Driving in Queensland handbook, topic: loads and vehicle safety