Headlights, seat belts, child seats and phones

Key points

1. Use headlights from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, whenever it rains, or when visibility is limited.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “You must use your headlights between one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise; at any time when it is raining; or when visibility is limited.”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 24

2. Dim your headlights within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “You are within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle so as not to blind the driver;”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 24

3. Every front seat occupant must wear a seat belt.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “each occupant in the front seat of a passenger vehicle traveling on Georgia roads and highways must be secured by a seat safety belt (lap and shoulder).”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 24

4. All occupants under 18 must wear a seat belt in any seat.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “All occupants of any passenger vehicle must utilize a seat safety belt if they are under the age of 18.”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 24

5. Georgia has a primary belt law: officers can stop and cite you for no belt alone.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “Georgia has a "primary" safety belt law, meaning that officers may stop and cite violators without observing another violation.”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 24

6. A child under eight must ride in a restraint suited to their height and weight, except in a taxi or public transit.

   Source: Handbook p. 24

   “Every driver transporting a child who is under eight years of age, except in a taxi.cab or public transit vehicle, must properly re-strain the child in a child passenger restraining system appropriate for the child's height and weight.”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 24

7. Under the Hands Free Law you may not hold or support a phone for any reason.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Georgia has a hands Free Law (HB 673) that mandates that drivers are not allowed to hold or support a phone for any reason.”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 25

8. A phone may be used only with headphones, a wireless device, a phone holder or a mount.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “A phone can only be used with headphones, a wireless device, phone holder or mounted device.”
   Georgia Drivers Manual, Handbook p. 25

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Georgia practice test

1. 1. Under Georgia's Hands Free Law, what may a driver do with a wireless telecommunications device while operating on a highway?

   1. Use it through a phone holder, mounted device, headphones, or another hands-free setup
   2. Hold it in one hand while keeping the other on the wheel
   3. Support it against the driver's shoulder for a short call
   4. Write a text if the vehicle is moving slowly
   Show answer

   Use it through a phone holder, mounted device, headphones, or another hands-free setup. Georgia prohibits holding or supporting a wireless device with any part of the body while operating a motor vehicle on a highway. The manual describes hands-free alternatives, including headphones, a wireless device, a phone holder, or a mounted device. Holding the phone, bracing it against a shoulder, or composing a text while moving still involves prohibited conduct or distraction. The concrete cue is physical contact: set the device up hands-free before driving, rather than improvising a grip during the trip.

2. 2. Which situation is an explicit exception to Georgia's child passenger restraint rule for a child under eight?

   1. The child is at least 4 feet 9 inches tall
   2. The child weighs more than 80 pounds
   3. The child sits in the front seat
   4. The child is riding in a taxi or public transit vehicle
   Show answer

   The child is riding in a taxi or public transit vehicle. Georgia requires a driver transporting a child under eight to use an appropriate child passenger restraint system, but the manual explicitly names a taxi cab or public transit vehicle as an exception. Height, weight, and seating position are not presented here as automatic exemptions. This distinction matters when reviewing a child passenger question: identify the transportation setting before relying on a physical measurement. The manual also says limited circumstances may exist and directs readers to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for further information.

3. 3. What should a driver do when fog makes visibility poor?

   1. Reduce speed and dim the headlights
   2. Use bright high beams to illuminate more fog
   3. Turn on parking lights and continue at normal speed
   4. Follow the vehicle ahead more closely
   Show answer

   Reduce speed and dim the headlights. Fog reduces the distance a driver can see and makes bright beams reflect glare back toward the vehicle. Georgia advises reducing speed and dimming headlights, then slowing farther when another vehicle's lights appear. High beams can make visibility worse, while parking lights and normal speed provide too little warning time. Keep a larger gap, use the regular headlights, and avoid driving into dense fog when another route is available.

Source: the Georgia Drivers Manual, Section 5: Traffic Laws. 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.