Safety First: Required Equipment, Tinting and Lights, Safety Kits, the Seat Belt Law and Its Fines, Child Restraints to Age 8 or 57 Inches, How Belts Work and the Myths, Air Bags, Headphones and Televisions, Truck Beds, the Hands-Free Law and Its Penalties, Defensive Driving, Health, Vehicle Condition, the Three-Second Rule, Reaction and Stopping Distances, Horns and Headlights, Night, Drowsy, Rain, Fog and Winter Driving, the Vulnerable Road Users Law, Pedestrians, Bicycles, Motorcycles, Mopeds, Scooters and Low-Speed Vehicles

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Massachusetts learner's permit exam. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: Massachusetts RMV Driver's Manual (revised April 2026), Chapter 2 "Safety First" (pages 33–54).

Equipment

About one in three Americans will be injured or killed in a crash. A passenger vehicle must have working belts for everyone, mirrors, a horn, an ignition lock, wipers, a muffler, a foot brake and parking brake, a driver's window that opens, headlights and brake lights and directional signals; for the dark it needs two white headlights, two red rear lights, three red brake lights and a white plate light. If signals or brake lights fail, fix them at once and use hand signals meanwhile. Every vehicle passes an annual safety and emissions inspection. A spotlight may only read signs or replace failed headlights and may shine no more than 2 feet above the road at 30 feet; flashing or strobe lights need an RMV permit. Side and rear windows may be tinted up to 35 percent, the windshield not at all. Carry a reflective vest, warning triangles or LED flares, a first aid kit, a glass breaker and white and red cloths, stored within reach inside the vehicle, and in winter snow tires, a scraper, jumper cables and warm clothing.

Seat belts and child restraints

Belts cut the chance of death or serious injury by about 50 percent. Everyone in a passenger vehicle under 18,000 pounds must wear a belt or ride in a child restraint. An unbelted driver, or a passenger 16 or older, is fined $25, and the driver is fined $25 for each unbelted passenger aged 12 to 15; the fine can only be issued when you are stopped for another violation. Exempt: vehicles made before July 1966, drivers of taxis, liveries, tractors, buses and trucks of 18,000 pounds or more, emergency vehicle passengers and police and fire drivers, working postal employees, and people with a physician-certified disability. Children ride in federally approved restraints until they are at least 8 years old or 57 inches tall, then in belts, with a $25 fine; the seat must bear a Standard 213 sticker and be attached by belt or anchor system. Never put a rear-facing seat in front of an air bag; the back seat, and best the middle, is safest, and infant seats face rearward. As a guide, infant seats serve to 20 pounds, convertible seats 20 to 40, and boosters 40 to 80. Belts keep you off the windshield, dashboard and other passengers, keep you inside the vehicle (five times better odds of survival) and keep you in control. Hitting the windshield at 30 mph is like falling from the third story. Wear the lap belt low and tight over the hips and the shoulder belt across shoulder and chest, never under the arm or across the face. Myths: fire or submersion are rare and a belt keeps you conscious to escape in under a second; air bags work with belts, not instead of them, and front bags do nothing in side or rear crashes; most crashes happen within 25 miles of home and eight in ten at 40 mph or less; and unbelted adults crush children and pets. With air bags, keep children in back, use proper child seats, always belt up, and slide the front seats as far back as possible.

Inside the vehicle and the hands-free law

Nothing may block your view through the windshield, windows or mirrors or roll under the pedals. Headphones or any device that restricts your attention are illegal, though drivers 18 and older may use one earplug for a phone. Keep noise low enough to hear sirens. A television must sit behind the front seat out of the driver's view. Children under 12 may not ride in a pickup bed except in narrow cases at no more than 5 mph. Under the distracted driving law, drivers 18 and older may use a mobile electronic device only hands-free: not held, touched only to activate hands-free mode, and mounted on the windshield, dashboard or console; hand-held use is allowed only when stationary outside a travel lane, not at red lights or stop signs, and not on the shoulder of a busy road. No writing, sending or reading any electronic message or using the Internet; a mounted GPS is fine. Drivers under 18 may not use any device for any reason except to report an emergency. Penalties: $100 for a first offense, $250 plus a distracted driving program for a second, $500 plus an insurance surcharge and the program for a third or later. A crash caused by device use brings criminal charges and loss of the license.

Defensive driving and your condition

Keep good vision all around, stay alert, keep your eyes on the road, maintain space on every side, drive the right speed, wear your belt, never drive after drinking, on medication or exhausted, maintain the vehicle, and give the right-of-way. Watch for vehicles stopping, people leaving parked cars, pedestrians and bicyclists, backup lights, crosswalks (never rely on signals), playgrounds, schoolyards and shopping centers, and remember that one in five people of driving age is deaf or hard of hearing and may not hear you. Have your eyes checked every year or two; never drive after alcohol, drowsy medication, drugs, when very tired or when upset; wear sunglasses on bright days. Inspect annually, follow the maintenance schedule, check tires each time you get in (at least 2/32 inch of tread; if a penny shows the top of Lincoln's head the tire is worn out), watch for brakes pulling to one side, loose steering or a high-pitched power-steering noise, keep lights and glass clean, replace streaking wipers, and keep plates clean and readable from 60 feet at night with the sticker in the upper right corner.

Space, braking and lights

Use the three-second rule: when the car ahead passes a fixed object, count "one one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand," and if you reach it first you are too close; count more in poor conditions. Leave at least four seconds behind a motorcycle and ten seconds behind heavy equipment, never cut in front of trucks or tractor-trailers, and never tailgate, which is illegal, the main cause of rear-end crashes and fined up to $100; let a tailgater pass. Add space in rain, snow or ice, at blind driveways, behind cars backing out and near children. Reaction takes about three-quarters of a second: at 50 mph you travel 55 feet before braking and about 160 feet more while braking, a total of about 215 feet; at 60 mph about 292 feet; at 30 mph about 104 feet. Large trucks may need twice the stopping distance. Brake early and gently, never ride the brakes, never pump antilock brakes, and slow near curves. Use the horn only to warn of trouble or avoid a crash, never to complain, hurry a slow driver or move a jam. Headlights and taillights are required from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise, whenever you cannot see people or vehicles 500 feet ahead, whenever the wipers are on (daytime running lights are not enough), in rain, snow or fog, whenever you have trouble seeing others, to alert another driver to turn theirs on, and in tunnels. Use emergency flashers when broken down, pull far off the road, never change a tire in a traffic lane, and use the flashers to warn of a crash ahead. Driver assistance systems help only when understood; the driver remains the most important safety feature.

Night, drowsy, rain and winter driving

At night, never drive tired, slow down to stop within what you can see, add space especially near trucks, set the mirror to its night position and keep interior lights off, look to the lower right of your lane instead of at headlights, keep glass and lights clean, and treat a driver's flashing lights as a hint that your lights are off or your high beams on. High beams show about 350 feet, low beams about 100 feet; use high beams only where you cannot see the road surface, and dim within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or 200 feet behind one; flick your lights once at an oncoming high-beam driver, then stay right without retaliating. Drowsy crashes cluster between midnight and 6 a.m. and in late afternoon, usually a lone driver running off a rural road at speed; only sleep prevents them, coffee and naps help briefly, alcohol worsens drowsiness, and rumble strips or crossing lines are warning signs. Rain makes starting, stopping and turning harder; roads are slickest when rain first mixes with oil, so slow at the first drops. Hydroplaning means the tires ride on water; if it starts you are going too fast, so ease off the gas and never brake or turn sharply. Add space, beware wet leaves (as slippery as ice), keep wipers and defoggers working, use low beams in fog, signal, follow edge markings when you cannot see posts, and avoid puddles, drying wet brakes with light pressure. Dial 511 for traffic, weather and construction. In winter, slow down and accelerate gently, never lock the brakes on ice (turn into a skid), add space, yield to plows without crowding, expect bridges and overpasses to freeze first, test the brakes gently when it starts snowing, clear all snow and ice including the roof, hood and trunk or face a negligent operation charge, keep the tank at least half full, use non-freezing washer fluid, and carry a blanket, flashlight and shovel. Plowing for pay requires commercial plates.

Sharing the road

Vulnerable road users are pedestrians, roadside workers, bicyclists, horse riders and carriages, and people on wheelchairs, mobility devices, motorized bicycles and scooters, skateboards and skates; passing one requires at least four feet, using the next lane or crossing the center line when safe, and obeying the speed limit. One in four traffic deaths involves a pedestrian: watch for children, joggers and skaters, people behind you when backing (turn and look, not just mirrors and sensors), blind pedestrians (the White Cane Law requires a complete stop, no honking or waving, and never passing a stopped vehicle), deaf people, and crowds at transit stops and senior centers. Bicyclists and moped riders share every road except signed limited-access highways; pass slowly with plenty of room or wait, dim your lights for them at night, expect swerves, and check for them before opening a door. Motorcycles ride March through October and beyond; about half of fatal motorcycle crashes involve being struck by another vehicle, usually by a driver turning left or entering traffic. Check twice before lane changes, follow at four seconds, never share a lane (illegal and dangerous even when the rider keeps to one side), let an oncoming motorcycle clear the intersection before turning, and expect sudden moves on gravel or potholes. A moped tops out at 30 mph by design with 50 cc or less and an automatic transmission; you need any license or permit, may not exceed 25 mph, ride limited-access highways or off-street paths, must signal and wear a DOT helmet, may not carry passengers on a permit, and face up to $100 in fines. A motorized scooter cannot be registered, requires a license or permit, tops at 20 mph, stays off highways and to the right, needs a helmet and signals, may not run between sunset and sunrise or carry passengers, with fines from $25 to $100. A limited use vehicle goes over 30 but not over 40 mph and stays off highways and roads posted above 40 mph; a low speed vehicle has four wheels, 20 to 25 mph, under 3,000 pounds, needs a Class D license and stays off roads posted above 30 mph. Police may cite bicyclists like motorists (without affecting a driving record), riders must give their true name, rental companies must offer helmets, and motorists can be cited for certain conduct around bicycles.

Practise this with Massachusetts Driver License questions

More of this guide