Seat belts, child seats and phone laws in Idaho

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain who must wear a seat belt in Idaho.
• You can describe the child restraint rule and where children should sit.
• You can use your phone legally, hands-free, or not at all.
• You can manage other distractions before and during a drive.

What you need to know and understand

• All occupants must wear seat belts or shoulder straps in vehicles that were factory-fitted with them.
• Children aged 6 and under must ride in an approved child safety seat, properly fitted and secured.
• Federal safety advice: children under 13 should ride in the back seat, and a rear-facing seat must never sit in front of an active air bag.
• Idaho's hands-free law bans using a handheld device while driving, including when briefly stopped at a stop sign or signal.
• Fines are $75 for a first offense, $150 for a second within three years and $300 for each further offense within three years, plus court costs. A court can suspend your license for up to 90 days after three convictions in three years.
• Under-17 drivers in the supervised period must make sure every occupant is belted or properly restrained.

Using a phone without breaking the law

Mount your phone and set navigation or music before you move. Hands-free calls by voice are allowed, and ITD has explained that a single touch to start or end a function is permitted. You may use the phone normally once you are parked out of the travel lane. Holding the phone to talk, text, scroll or watch while driving is not allowed, even at a red light.

Even legal hands-free calls take your mind off the road. New drivers do best to keep calls for when they have stopped safely.

Child seats done right

• Use a seat that meets federal safety standards.
• Fit the child snugly with the seat's own harness.
• Secure the seat firmly to the vehicle with the belt or LATCH system.
• Use it on every trip, however short.
• Read both the seat's instructions and the vehicle owner's manual for limits.

Other distractions

Eating, adjusting the radio, grooming, reaching for items and dealing with children or pets all pull your eyes and mind away. Preset the radio, keep the volume low enough to hear sirens, put pets in a carrier and let a passenger handle the map. If your mind wanders, pull over and take a break. Idaho police can also cite drivers for inattentive driving.

Common mistakes

• Picking up the phone at a red light. The hands-free law still applies when stopped in a travel lane.
• Letting back-seat passengers ride unbuckled on short trips.
• Moving a child out of a car seat too early. Idaho requires a seat through age 6.
• Typing a destination while rolling. Set navigation before you leave.

Test yourself: Seat belts, child seats and phone laws in Idaho

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Idaho Permit Practice Test
• Idaho GDL Rules and the Supervised Instruction Permit
• Idaho Permit Test