Walk It Through: The Road Trip
Every occupant under 16 restrained, no drinking for the driver, and up to 1 year on a first offense.
A teenage nephew and an adult friend climb into the back seat and leave their belts off.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One trip with a car full of friends. Medical certifications, cannabis rules in detail, and repeat offenses after an earlier conviction are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Passenger areaWhere the driver and passengers sit while the vehicle is moving, and anywhere they can readily reach. A driver may not drink alcohol, or smoke or consume cannabis, there on a highway.
- Child safety seatThe seat a child under the age of 8 years is secured in, following the seat and vehicle manufacturers' instructions, unless the child is 4 feet, 9 inches tall or taller.
- Secondary offenseA rule an officer may enforce only once a driver has been detained for something else, as with the rear seat belt rule for passengers 16 and older.