Key points
Safety belts must be worn at all times when driving or riding in a vehicle.
Source: Handbook p. 61
“They must be worn at all times when driving or riding in a vehicle.”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 61Your chances of being killed are five times greater if you are thrown from your car.
Source: Handbook p. 61
“Your chances of being killed are five times greater if you are thrown from your car.”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 61With lap and shoulder belts, you can survive a crash at up to 60 miles per hour.
Source: Handbook p. 61
“You can survive a crash at speeds up to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) if using lap and shoulder belts.”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 61Unbuckled, you can be killed in a crash at speeds as low as 12 miles per hour.
Source: Handbook p. 61
“If not buckled up, it is possible to be killed in a crash at speeds as low as 12 miles per hour (19 km/h).”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 61In a crash the car takes 1/10 of a second to stop, but the human collision takes only 1/100 of a second.
Source: Handbook p. 62
“In the car's collision it takes 1/10 of a second to stop; in the human collision it takes only 1/100 of a second.”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 62All front and back seat occupants must wear seat belts, and children under 4 must be in a child restraint.
Source: Handbook p. 20
“All front and back seat occupants are required by law (291-11.6, HRS) to use seat belts. Children under age 4 must be in a child restraint;”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 20Never let a child ride in someone's lap or stand on a seat.
Source: Handbook p. 61
“NEVER ALLOW A CHILD TO RIDE IN SOMEONE'S LAP or STANDING ON A SEAT.”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 61It is illegal to leave a child under 9 unattended in a vehicle for 5 minutes or longer.
Source: Handbook p. 64
“Hawaii law prohibits you or any adult passenger from leaving a child, under nine years of age, unattended in a motor vehicle for five minutes or longer.”
Hawaii Driver's Manual, Handbook p. 64
Numbers to know
| Number | What it means | Manual |
|---|---|---|
| 5 times | greater chance of death if thrown from the car | Handbook p. 61 |
| 60 mph | crash speed you can survive with lap and shoulder belts | Handbook p. 61 |
| 12 mph | crash speed that can kill an unbuckled occupant | Handbook p. 61 |
| 1/10 and 1/100 of a second | stopping time of the car versus the human collision | Handbook p. 62 |
| 4 | age below which children must be in a child restraint | Handbook p. 20 |
| 9 years, 5 minutes | a child under this age may not be left alone in a vehicle this long | Handbook p. 64 |
3 questions from the Hawaii practice test
1. According to the Hawaii manual, which crash danger does a seat belt help prevent?
- It guarantees that no crash injuries will occur
- It helps prevent occupants from being thrown from the vehicle
- It lets passengers ride safely on a seat back
- It removes the need for child safety seats
Show answer
It helps prevent occupants from being thrown from the vehicle. The manual identifies preventing an occupant from being thrown from the vehicle as a major safety function of a seat belt. Ejection greatly increases the chance of death, and the belt also helps keep a person from striking the vehicle interior or another occupant. It cannot guarantee that injuries will never occur, and it does not make an unsafe seat position acceptable. Child safety seats remain necessary for children too small for regular belts. Fasten the lap and shoulder belt before moving, then make sure every passenger is restrained.
2. Up to what speed can a belted occupant survive a crash, according to the Hawaii manual?
- Up to 60 miles per hour with lap and shoulder belts
- Up to 20 mph
- Up to 100 mph
- Belts make no difference
Show answer
Up to 60 miles per hour with lap and shoulder belts. You can survive a crash at speeds up to 60 miles per hour if using lap and shoulder belts, while an unbelted person can be killed at speeds as low as 12 mph. Belts keep you from being thrown from the car, where the chance of death is many times greater, and from striking the windshield and interior. In a crash the car stops in a tenth of a second and an unbelted body in a hundredth.
3. What is the age cutoff in Hawaii's law against leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle for five minutes or longer?
- It covers only children under six
- It covers only children under four
- It covers children under twelve
- It covers children under nine years of age
Show answer
It covers children under nine years of age. Hawaii law prohibits the driver or any adult passenger from leaving a child under nine years of age unattended in a motor vehicle for five minutes or longer. Limiting the rule to children under six or under four is too narrow, because the law reaches every child under nine. Twelve is above the stated age. Unattended children face heat exposure and injury, including when the car is stolen or when the emergency brake, power windows or trunk release are used by accident.
Practice this topic
Lock it in with safe driving questions from the free Hawaii practice test. Every answer comes with a plain English explanation.
Source: the Hawaii Driver's Manual, Chapter X: Safe Driving Techniques. 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.