Parking, safety belts and child restraints

Key points

1. Facing uphill with a curb, turn your wheels away from the curb. With no curb, turn them toward the edge of the road.

   Source: Handbook p. 28

   “Facing uphill turn your wheels away from the curb and shift into low gear or PARK. If there are no curbs, turn your wheels toward the edge of the road”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 28

2. No parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an uncontrolled intersection or 30 feet of a flashing beacon, stop sign or signal.

   Source: Handbook p. 29

   “Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an uncontrolled intersection. Within 30 feet of any flashing beacon, stop sign, or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 29

3. No parking within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing or 15 feet of a fire hydrant.

   Source: Handbook p. 29

   “Within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 29

4. Alabama's belt law requires every occupant, regardless of age, to be restrained.

   Source: Handbook p. 30

   “Alabama's safety belt law requires that each occupant, regardless of age, be restrained.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 30

5. Children through age 15 must be restrained, in front and back seats of cars, pickups, vans, minivans and SUVs.

   Source: Handbook p. 30

   “Alabama's child restraint law requires that children through age 15 must be restrained when riding in motor vehicles in Alabama. The law applies to occupants of front and back seats of passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans (with seating capacity of 10 or fewer), minivans and sport utility vehicles.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 30

6. Rear facing seat until at least age 1 or 20 pounds, then forward facing until at least age 5 or 40 pounds.

   Source: Handbook p. 30

   “until an infant is at least 1 year of age or 20 pounds. Convertible seat in the forward position or forward-facing seat until a child is at least 5 years of age or 40 pounds.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 30

7. Booster seat until age 6, then a seat belt until age 15.

   Source: Handbook p. 30

   “Booster seat until a child is 6 years of age. Seat belt until a child is 15 years of age.”
   Alabama Driver Manual, Handbook p. 30

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Alabama practice test

1. 1. Through what age must children generally be restrained under Alabama’s child restraint law?

   1. Through age 5
   2. Through age 8
   3. Through age 15
   4. Through age 12
   Show answer

   Through age 15. Alabama’s child restraint law requires children through age 15 to be restrained while riding in motor vehicles in Alabama. The younger ages in the choices may sound familiar because the manual assigns different equipment stages to infants, young children, and booster-seat users, but the broad law statement extends through age 15. The rule is not limited to children who still need a booster seat. Look for the phrase through age 15 when the question asks about the overall age coverage, then distinguish it from the separate size-appropriate restraint requirements.

2. 2. Which listed vehicles are covered by Alabama’s child restraint law?

   1. Only passenger cars with rear seats
   2. Passenger cars, pickup trucks, small vans, minivans, and sport utility vehicles
   3. Only school buses and commercial vans
   4. Only vehicles registered to a child’s parent
   Show answer

   Passenger cars, pickup trucks, small vans, minivans, and sport utility vehicles. The manual names passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans with seating capacity of 10 or fewer, minivans, and sport utility vehicles as covered vehicle types. The rule is therefore wider than passenger cars alone and is not limited to school or commercial transportation. Registration ownership is irrelevant to the vehicle list. Notice the qualifier for vans: the manual specifies 10 or fewer seats, so a choice that removes that limit would overstate the passage. When reviewing a vehicle, match both the type and, for a van, the seating capacity described by the manual.

3. 3. Which seating areas are covered by Alabama’s child restraint requirement?

   1. Only the front seat
   2. Only the back seat
   3. Only a designated child seat row
   4. Both the front and back seats
   Show answer

   Both the front and back seats. Alabama’s manual applies the child restraint law to occupants of both front and back seats in the covered vehicle types. A back-seat-only answer reflects a common safety recommendation but is not the scope stated in this law summary. The front-seat-only choice is equally incomplete, and the manual does not create a special child-seat row. The key cue is the paired wording front and back. After identifying a covered vehicle and a child within the age range, check restraint compliance in either seating area rather than assuming the rule applies only behind the driver.

Source: the Alabama Driver Manual, Chapter 3: The Driving Task. This lesson is a plain English summary, not the law itself; where it differs, the manual and the statute govern. Last checked 2026-09-27.