Patente Quiz B
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Lesson and quiz, category B licence

Seat belts, airbags and restraint systems (Cinture, airbag e sistemi di ritenuta)

On the exam this topic tests the seat belt duty for everyone, child restraints, the anti abandonment device, airbags, head restraints and exemptions; this site has 22 true or false statements to practise on it.

The theory exam has 30 statements in 20 minutes and you pass with at most 3 mistakes. Source: Codice della Strada.

Skip to the quiz Study the rules

The real theory exam is in Italian, with French or German available on request. Lessons here keep the Italian terms in italics, and the quiz shows each statement in Italian with English help underneath. Switch to Italian only in the quiz to practise under exam conditions.

The rules

Question 1 of 1

Rule 1

Belts always, for everyone

The driver and passengers in seats fitted with belts wear them whenever the vehicle is moving, inside and outside built up areas, even for a trip of a few hundred metres. The belt is fastened before setting off and must fit close to the body: it is not loosened or altered with clips, because any slack lets the body hit the belt later and concentrates the forces of the crash.

Example

You move the car from the courtyard to a neighbour's garage, a hundred metres through the village. You still fasten the belt.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

Exam traps

  • «It may be loosened on short town trips»: false.
  • «You may make it more comfortable with a clip»: false, it creates slack.

Rule 2

Rear seats and loose objects

An unbelted rear passenger is not protected by the seat in front: in a frontal crash they are thrown forward and hit the person in front, making that person's injuries worse. The body keeps the vehicle's speed until it strikes something, and the sudden deceleration multiplies the force many times over its weight. The same goes for heavy objects left loose, which belong in the boot or tied down.

Example

A gym bag is on the rear parcel shelf. You put it in the boot, because under hard braking it would fly into the driver's head.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

Exam traps

  • «Rear passengers are protected by the front seat backs»: false.
  • «An unbelted rear passenger is no danger to those in front»: false.

Rule 3

Children under 1.50 metres

Children shorter than 1.50 metres travel in an approved restraint suited to their weight and height, such as child seats and booster cushions. Above 1.50 metres the vehicle's belt is enough. The seat is fixed with the belt or with Isofix anchors, which attach it to the body shell and reduce fitting mistakes, always following the maker's instructions and the car's manual. A child held in an adult's arms is never restrained. If a minor is not restrained, the driver or the person responsible for supervising the minor answers for it.

Example

An 11 year old is 1.45 metres tall. They still travel on a booster, even if they complain they are too big.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

Exam traps

  • «A child may ride on a lap if the adult is belted»: false, in a crash the adult crushes the child.
  • «Above 1.50 metres a child seat is still needed»: false.

Rule 4

Anti abandonment device and airbags by child seats

A driver carrying a child under 4 must use an anti abandonment alarm (art. 172 c. 1-bis): the duty is the driver's, and the device need not be built into the child seat. A rear facing child seat is not fitted on the front seat with the front airbag active: the airbag must be switched off, otherwise it strikes the back of the child seat violently as it opens.

Example

A newborn travels in front in a rear facing infant carrier. Before leaving you switch off the passenger airbag with the key or control provided.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

Exam traps

  • «A rear facing seat may go in front with the airbag active»: false.

Rule 5

Airbags, pretensioners and head restraints

An airbag adds to the belt and does not replace it: it protects properly only with the belt fastened. It opens only above a deceleration threshold, so in a minor rear end shunt it stays closed. The pretensioner takes up belt slack in the first moments of a crash, so the body is held earlier. The head restraint is set level with the back of the head and close to it, not at shoulder height: it works in rear end impacts, when the head is thrown back, and a front airbag does not replace it.

Example

Before driving a much taller friend's car, you raise the head restraint until its middle is level with the back of your head.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

Exam traps

  • «The airbag replaces the belt»: false.
  • «The head restraint goes at shoulder height»: false, at the back of the head.
  • «The airbag opens in every impact»: false, it needs enough deceleration.

Rule 6

Exemptions

Exemptions from wearing a belt exist but are limited and must be documented. Pregnancy is not an automatic exemption: it needs a gynaecologist's certificate showing particular risk conditions. Without one, the belt is worn with the lap strap below the bump.

Example

Seven months pregnant and without an exemption certificate, a woman fastens the belt with the lap strap under her bump and the diagonal strap between her breasts.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

Exam traps

  • «Pregnant women are sempre (always) exempt»: false, a certificate is needed.

Rule 7

What can go wrong

Three scenes show what makes the difference in a crash. First scene: in Palermo, on the ring road, four friends are driving home after an evening out. The driver and front passenger are belted; the two in the back are not, because the trip is short. A car ahead brakes hard and the driver runs into it at town speed. Those in front get away with bruises; the two rear passengers are thrown into the seat backs and heads in front, and one of them seriously injures the driver's neck. Art. 172 of the Codice della Strada requires belts in every seat fitted with one, rear seats included, in town too. Second scene: in Padua a grandmother takes her three year old grandson to nursery. The child rides in the back with only the car's belt, because the child seat was left in the other car. Hard braking at traffic lights makes the child slide under the belt, which presses on his abdomen. Beyond the risk, the fine falls on the driver, because the driver or the person supervising the minor answers for it, and under 1.50 metres a suitable restraint is required. A child of that age also needs the anti abandonment device. Third scene: in Bologna a father fits the newborn's infant carrier on the front seat, facing backwards, and forgets to switch off the airbag. In a side impact at a junction the front airbag opens and drives the back of the carrier hard against the seat. The baby is taken to A&E. The rule is clear: a rear facing child seat goes in front only with the airbag switched off. The shared lesson is simple. Belts are always fastened, in the back as in the front, children under 1.50 metres ride in the right restraint, and the airbag is switched off in front of a rear facing seat.

Legal reference: CdS art. 172

CdS: Codice della Strada (d.lgs. 285/1992). Reg.: its implementing regulation (d.P.R. 495/1992). c.: comma, the numbered paragraph of an article.

Full text of the Codice: www.aci.it/i-servizi/normative/codice-della-strada.html

Trap words

False statements on the exam often repeat a true rule and change a single word. These are the Italian words to read carefully in this topic. They stay in Italian because that is how they appear on the exam.

Words that appear in every topic

sempre
always. An absolute: the statement is true only if there is no exception at all.
«Keeping to the limit sempre (always) guarantees a safe speed»: false, in fog or on ice you go slower.
solo, soltanto, esclusivamente
only. It rules out every other case, so a single exception makes the statement false.
«The children sign is placed soltanto (only) outside primary schools»: false, it also appears near parks and sports grounds.
mai, in nessun caso
never, in no case. The statement is true only if the behaviour is not allowed in any situation.
«A driver with priority may in nessun caso (never) give it up»: false, they may, as long as they make it clear.
ovvero
In the language of the Codice it means «or» and introduces an alternative. It does not mean «that is».
Emergency stop: the vehicle has broken down ovvero (or) the driver must stop because they feel unwell (art. 157). Two separate cases; either one is enough.
obbligatoriamente, è obbligatorio
compulsory. A duty: it is not enough for the behaviour to be allowed, it must be required.
«Overtaking on the left is obbligatorio (compulsory) even past a driver turning left»: false, in that case you pass on the right.
è consentito, è ammesso
allowed, permitted. A permission, not a duty. «È consentito» does not mean «è obbligatorio», and the reverse.
«It is consentito (allowed) to pass on the right a driver who has signalled a left turn»: true, and art. 148(7) actually requires it.
di norma, di regola
as a rule, normally. It states the general rule, which allows exceptions, so the statement does not claim to hold in every case.
«Outside built up areas warning signs are placed di norma (as a rule) 150 metres ahead»: true, and a panel gives any other distance.
anche
also, even. It stretches the rule to one more case; ask whether that added case really belongs.
«The no parking sign anche (also) bans stopping»: false, a brief stop is still allowed under a no parking sign.
automaticamente, di per sé
automatically, in itself. It suggests an effect that applies on its own, when the effect usually depends on a sign or a specific condition.
«In fog the motorway limit automaticamente (automatically) drops to 90 km/h»: false, the automatic cut applies to rain and snow.
qualsiasi, qualunque, in ogni caso
any, in every case. It generalises; look for the category or situation the rule leaves out.
«The safe distance is the same at qualunque (any) speed»: false, it grows with speed.
corsia
lane. The part of the carriageway wide enough for one line of vehicles (art. 3).
A two way carriageway (carreggiata) usually has two corsie (lanes), one for each direction.
carreggiata
carriageway. The part of the road for vehicles, made up of one or more lanes (art. 3). It does not include the verge or the pavement.
A speed limit applies to the whole carreggiata (carriageway), not only to the lane next to the sign.
banchina
verge, hard strip. The strip beside the carriageway and outside it, not meant for driving (art. 3).
Outside built up areas you park off the carriageway, for example on a suitable banchina (verge) (art. 157(3)).
fermata
stop. A brief halt to let people get in or out, with the driver present and ready to move off (art. 157).
Pulling in to drop off a passenger and leaving straight away is a fermata (stop), not a sosta (parking).
sosta
parking. A prolonged halt during which the driver may leave the vehicle (art. 157).
A divieto di sosta (no parking) does not ban stopping; a divieto di fermata (no stopping) bans parking too.
arresto
halt. An interruption caused by traffic, such as a red light or a queue. It is not the driver's choice (art. 157).
Stopping at a red light is an arresto (halt); no stopping ban prevents it.

Check yourself

Three statements on the topic. Answer and see straight away whether the rule has stuck. These answers are not saved.

Question 1 of 1

  1. Un seggiolino rivolto contro il senso di marcia può essere montato sul sedile anteriore con airbag attivo.

    A rear facing child seat may be fitted on the front seat with the airbag active.

  2. Il poggiatesta va regolato all'altezza delle spalle per essere efficace.

    A head restraint must be set level with the shoulders to be effective.

  3. I bambini di statura superiore a 1,50 metri devono comunque viaggiare su un seggiolino omologato.

    Children taller than 1.50 metres must still travel in an approved child seat.

Topic quiz: 22 statements

Untimed. After each answer you see the solution, the explanation, the trap words highlighted and a link back to the rule. At the end you get your score and can retest just the ones you missed.

Question 1 of 1

  1. L'uso delle cinture di sicurezza è obbligatorio anche per i passeggeri dei sedili posteriori.

    Seat belts are compulsory for rear seat passengers too.

  2. La cintura di sicurezza può essere allentata durante i percorsi urbani brevi.

    The seat belt may be worn loose on short urban trips.

  3. I bambini di statura inferiore a 1,50 metri devono viaggiare con un sistema di ritenuta adeguato al loro peso e alla loro altezza.

    Children shorter than 1.50 metres must travel in a restraint suited to their weight and height.

  4. Un seggiolino rivolto contro il senso di marcia può essere montato sul sedile anteriore con airbag attivo.

    A rear facing child seat may be fitted on the front seat with the airbag active.

  5. L'airbag sostituisce la cintura di sicurezza.

    The airbag replaces the seat belt.

  6. Il poggiatesta va regolato all'altezza delle spalle per essere efficace.

    A head restraint must be set level with the shoulders to be effective.

  7. Il pretensionatore della cintura interviene nei primi istanti dell'urto per eliminare il gioco della cintura.

    The belt pretensioner acts in the first instants of an impact to remove slack.

  8. Le donne in stato di gravidanza sono sempre esonerate dall'uso della cintura.

    Pregnant women are always exempt from wearing a seat belt.

  9. L'obbligo di indossare la cintura vale anche per i tragitti brevi e a bassa velocità.

    The duty to wear a seat belt applies to short trips at low speed too.

  10. Se a bordo non c'è chi è tenuto alla sorveglianza del minore, del mancato uso dei sistemi di ritenuta da parte del minore risponde il conducente.

    If nobody responsible for supervising the child is on board, the driver is answerable when the child is not properly restrained.

  11. Il seggiolino va installato seguendo le istruzioni del costruttore e le indicazioni del manuale del veicolo.

    A child seat must be installed following the maker's instructions and the vehicle handbook.

  12. In un urto frontale a 50 km/h un passeggero non trattenuto viene proiettato in avanti con una forza pari a molte volte il suo peso.

    In a head on impact at 50 km/h an unrestrained passenger is thrown forward with a force many times their weight.

  13. Gli oggetti pesanti lasciati liberi nell'abitacolo diventano pericolosi in caso di urto.

    Heavy objects left loose in the cabin become dangerous in a crash.

  14. I sistemi di ritenuta per bambini possono essere fissati con le cinture del veicolo oppure con gli ancoraggi Isofix.

    Child restraints can be secured with the vehicle belts or with Isofix anchorages.

  15. I seggiolini per bambini di età inferiore a quattro anni devono essere dotati di dispositivo antiabbandono.

    Child seats for children under four must have a child presence alarm.

  16. Un bambino può viaggiare in braccio a un adulto purché l'adulto indossi la cintura.

    A child may travel on an adult's lap provided the adult wears a belt.

  17. I passeggeri dei sedili posteriori non hanno bisogno della cintura perché sono protetti dagli schienali anteriori.

    Rear seat passengers do not need a belt because the front seat backs protect them.

  18. Un passeggero posteriore non trattenuto non rappresenta un pericolo per chi siede davanti.

    An unrestrained rear passenger is no danger to the people sitting in front.

  19. L'airbag frontale si attiva in ogni tipo di urto, anche a bassissima velocità.

    The front airbag deploys in every kind of impact, even at very low speed.

  20. È consentito modificare la cintura con una pinza o un fermo per renderla più comoda.

    It is allowed to alter the belt with a clip or a stop to make it more comfortable.

  21. I bambini di statura superiore a 1,50 metri devono comunque viaggiare su un seggiolino omologato.

    Children taller than 1.50 metres must still travel in an approved child seat.

  22. La presenza dell'airbag frontale rende inutile la regolazione del poggiatesta.

    Having a front airbag makes adjusting the head restraint pointless.

What next

All exam topics

Educational content. For the official rules, see the Codice della Strada and legal notes.