Chapter 4 — Your Driving 43 the dashboard at up to 200 miles per hour — faster than the blink of an eye.  The force of an air bag can hurt those who are too close to it. Drivers can help  prevent air bag-related injuries to adults and children by following critical safety points. North Carolina law prohibits children less than age 16 from riding in the open  bed of a pick-up truck.  (NCGS §20-135.2B)  An open bed or open cargo area  is a bed or cargo area without permanent overhead restraining construction.  Law on Transporting Children in the Back of a Pick-up Truck North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Helmet Law  All operators and passengers on motorcycles and mopeds must wear a  motorcycle safety helmet of a type that complies with Federal Motor Vehicle  Safety Standard (FMVSS) 218. Child Safety Points:  Adult Safety Points: • Children age 12 and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat; and • Infants in rear-facing child safety seats should NEVER ride in the front seat  of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag. Small children should ride in a rear  seat in child safety seats approved for their age and size. • Everyone should buckle-up with both lap and shoulder belts on every trip. Air  bags are supplemental protection devices; • The lap belt should be worn under the abdomen and low across the hips. The  shoulder portion should come over the collarbone away from the neck and  cross over the breastbone. The shoulder belt in most new cars can be adjusted  on the side pillar to improve fit; and  • Driver and front passenger seats should be moved as far back as practical,  particularly for shorter-statured people. •  A thick inner liner which includes a firm inner liner of polystyrene  foam  that is about one inch thick. In some helmets this may be covered  by a comfort liner, but you can feel the thickness. (Non-compliant helmets  normally contain no liner or a thin soft foam padding.) •  A DOT sticker which will show the symbol “DOT” permanently  installed  by the manufacturer on the back of the helmet. (Some “novelty  type” helmets are supplied with a separate “DOT” sticker or one can be  purchased separately and placed on the helmet by the motorcyclist. This does  not make this a compliant helmet.) •  A manufacturer’s label which is permanently attached in the interior of  the helmet  by the manufacturer that includes the manufacturer’s name or  identification, precise model, size, month and year of manufacture, type of  shell and liner construction materials and an instruction label for cleaning  and care of the helmet. What to look for in a legal helmet: