If a vehicle is equipped with airbags:
- Seat belts should still be worn. ✓
- Seat belts do not need to be worn.
- Seat belts should be worn behind the back.
Answer: A. Seat belts should still be worn.
Even with airbags, seat belts should still be worn.
Why this is the answer
The California handbook says you and your passengers must wear seat belts, and it treats air bags as an added safety feature, not a replacement. It notes air bags can help keep you safer than a seat belt alone, which means the belt is still expected. The handbook also explains that seat and shoulder belts help keep you in a better position to control the vehicle and may reduce serious injuries. So airbags do not remove the need to buckle up.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Seat belts do not need to be worn. — Air bags do not replace seat belts; the handbook says you and your passengers must wear seat belts.
- C. Seat belts should be worn behind the back. — The handbook says not to wear the shoulder belt behind your back, so that is not a proper way to use a seat belt.
Remember it
Think of an air bag as a helper, not a substitute: buckle the lap and shoulder belt every time.
Official handbook: California Driver Handbook (DL 600), Section 8: Safe Driving, p. 65