Seat Belts, Child Seats and Phone Laws

Key points

1. The driver and each passenger can be cited and fined $75 for not wearing a seat belt.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “If either the driver or the passenger fails to wear the seat belt, each could be cited for a seat belt violation and fined $75.”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 12

2. Seat belts are required even in vehicles with airbags.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “State law requires that safety belts must be worn even if the vehicle is equipped with airbags.”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 12

3. Children under 16 must be in proper child restraint and safety systems.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “State law requires children under 16 to be secured in proper child restraint and safety systems while riding in a vehicle.”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 12

4. Under 2 or under 30 pounds: a rear facing seat with a 5 point harness.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “Under age 2, or weighing less than 30 pounds, regardless of age Rear-facing-only car seat or rear facing convertible seat with a 5-point harness”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 12

5. Age 5 to 8, or 40 to 60 pounds: a 5 point harness or booster seat; 8 and 60 pounds or more: a booster or seat belt.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “Age 5 to 8, or weighing between 40-60 pounds 5 point-harness or booster seat Age 8 or older and weighing 60 pounds or more Booster seat or seat belt”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 12

6. A rear facing child seat may not go in a front seat with a working passenger airbag.

   Source: Handbook p. 12

   “The law also prohibits the placement of a rear-facing child restraint system in the front seat of a vehicle with functional passenger side airbag.”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 12

7. Hand held phones and mobile devices may not be used while driving on any public highway.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “Hand-held cell phones or mobile electronic devices may not be used while operating a motor vehicle on any public highway.”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 13

8. Drivers who are 16 or 17 may not use any phone or device, even hands free.

   Source: Handbook p. 13

   “However, drivers who are 16 or 17 years of age are not permitted to use any type of cell phone or mobile electronic device, including a hands-free device.”
   Connecticut Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 13

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Connecticut practice test

1. 1. Where does Connecticut law forbid placing a rear-facing child seat?

   1. In any back seat
   2. In a pickup truck with a back seat
   3. In the front seat of a vehicle with a working passenger side airbag
   4. Behind the driver's seat
   Show answer

   In the front seat of a vehicle with a working passenger side airbag. Connecticut law prohibits placing a rear-facing child restraint system in the front seat of a vehicle that has a functional passenger side airbag. The rule is tied to the working airbag in front of that seat, not to the type of vehicle, so a pickup's back seat is not barred by this rule. A back seat, including the spot behind the driver, is not covered by this prohibition. Connecticut also requires child restraint systems to have a five point harness.

2. 2. Under Connecticut's cell phone law, what may a 16- or 17-year-old driver use while driving?

   1. A hands-free phone for calls
   2. No cell phone or mobile electronic device, including hands-free equipment
   3. A phone only while stopped at a red light
   4. A hands-free device for texting
   Show answer

   No cell phone or mobile electronic device, including hands-free equipment. Connecticut applies a stricter rule to drivers who are 16 or 17. They may not use any type of cell phone or mobile electronic device while driving, including a hands-free device. The adult hands-free permission does not carry over to this age group. Stopping at a traffic signal also does not create a general exception, because the manual separately prohibits device use when a vehicle is temporarily stopped for traffic, road conditions, or a control signal. Only the listed emergency circumstances can change the result.

3. 3. What happens to a Connecticut driver under 18 convicted of violating the cell phone law?

   1. A $50 fine only
   2. A warning
   3. Nothing until age 18
   4. A license suspension, plus a moving violation counted toward operator retraining
   Show answer

   A license suspension, plus a moving violation counted toward operator retraining. A 16 or 17 year old who violates Connecticut's cell phone law is charged with a moving violation, and if the operator is under age 18 a conviction results in a license suspension. It also counts as a moving violation when determining whether attendance in the operator retraining program is required. Drivers who are 16 or 17 may not use any cell phone or mobile electronic device while driving, not even a hands free one.

Source: the Connecticut Driver's Manual, Before You Get Behind the Wheel. 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.