Seat Belts, Children and Phone Laws

Key points

1. The driver and passengers age 6 and older must wear seat belts.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “The driver and any passengers age six and older must wear safety belts if the vehicle is equipped with them.”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 25

2. Children under 6 or shorter than 57 inches must ride in an approved child restraint.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Children under age six and those who measure less than 57 inches tall must be in an approved child restraint system”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 25

3. Children under 2 must ride rear facing in the back seat.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Children under the age of two must be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system in the back seat of the motor vehicle.”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 25

4. Never put an infant in the front seat of a car with a passenger airbag, which deploys at 200 mph.

   Source: Handbook p. 26

   “Never put an infant in the front seat if the car has a passenger side airbag. In a crash, the airbag explodes from the dashboard at 200 mph”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 26

5. Never leave a child 7 or younger unattended in a risky vehicle unless someone at least 12 is watching.

   Source: Handbook p. 25

   “Never leave a child aged 7 or younger unattended in a vehicle if the conditions present a significant risk to the health and safety of that child unless the child is being supervised by and is within sight of a person at least 12 years old.”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 25

6. Handheld phone calls are banned unless you use a hands free accessory.

   Source: Handbook p. 43

   “The use of a cellular phone or other handheld wireless communications device to engage in voice communications is prohibited unless the device is used with a hands-free accessory.”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 43

7. Texting, messaging and searching the internet on a handheld device while driving are prohibited.

   Source: Handbook p. 43

   “manually send, read, search the Internet, or engage in non-voice communications with another person, including texting, electronic messaging and instant messaging is prohibited.”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 43

8. You may use a phone to report an emergency if stopping would be unsafe.

   Source: Handbook p. 43

   “You may use the device to report an emergency if stopping the vehicle would be inadvisable, impractical or dangerous.”
   Nevada Driver's Handbook, Handbook p. 43

Numbers to know

3 questions from the Nevada practice test

1. 1. Where and how must a Nevada child under age two ride?

   1. Forward facing in the front seat
   2. In a booster seat anywhere
   3. Rear facing in the back seat
   4. On an adult's lap if the trip is short
   Show answer

   Rear facing in the back seat. Nevada requires children under two to be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system in the back seat. A forward-facing seat, a booster, or the front seat all break the rule, and the handbook says a child should never be held in a lap or share one belt with someone else. An airbag can strike a front seat infant seat at 200 mph, which is why infants never ride in front of one.

2. 2. Which Nevada children must ride in an approved child restraint system?

   1. Only infants under one
   2. All children under 12
   3. Children under age six and those shorter than 57 inches
   4. Children under 40 pounds only
   Show answer

   Children under age six and those shorter than 57 inches. Children under age six and those who measure less than 57 inches tall must be in an approved child restraint system under NRS 484B.157, and failure to restrain them may result in fines, community service and/or suspension of the driver's license. It is also a misdemeanor to leave a dog or cat unattended in a vehicle during extreme heat or cold.

3. 3. Besides handheld voice communication, what phone activity does Nevada prohibit while driving?

   1. Using a mounted navigation display for directions
   2. Listening to music through the vehicle speakers
   3. Manually sending, reading, searching the Internet, or using non-voice messaging
   4. Receiving an emergency call through a hands-free accessory
   Show answer

   Manually sending, reading, searching the Internet, or using non-voice messaging. Nevada prohibits manually sending or reading communications, searching the Internet, and engaging in non-voice messaging while driving. That rule is separate from the prohibition on handheld voice communication without a hands-free accessory. Listening to music or using a mounted navigation display is not the conduct named in this passage, and the handbook allows emergency reporting when stopping would be inadvisable, impractical, or dangerous. The practical cue is the driver's manual interaction with the device: typing, reading, or searching is prohibited even when no voice call is underway.

Source: the Nevada Driver's Handbook, Chapters 2 and 3: Buckle Up and Cell Phones. 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.