Buckle before moving
Use the correct seat belt or child restraint on every journey, even a short one.
Module 06
Safer Car Journeys
A safer car journey depends on passenger choices too. Learn to use the correct restraint, protect the driver's attention, choose the safer exit and check before a door opens.
Passenger choices matter
Secure, settle, check
Match the setup
A responsible adult checks the seat, restraint and local age-and-height rules.
Protect attention
Keep calm and let the driver concentrate; screens and requests can wait.
Check before opening
Use the safer confirmed side, look all around and over your shoulder, then open only when clear.
Being inside a car does not end your road-safety decisions. Get the restraint right before moving, protect the driver's attention and treat every door opening as a traffic check.
Source-verified guidance
What supports the choices
Use the seat belt or approved child restraint required for your size and the rules that apply locally. It must be correctly adjusted, fastened and used according to the vehicle and restraint manufacturers' instructions; ask a responsible adult to check if the fit or setup is uncertain.
Passengers should stay calm and avoid behaviour that distracts the driver or interferes with driving. Requests that require the driver's attention, such as looking at a screen or retrieving an item, should wait until the vehicle is safely stopped.
After the vehicle has stopped, check all around for cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and other traffic before opening a door. When able, using the hand opposite the door can help turn your head for a shoulder check; open only when it will not put anyone in danger.
Where it is available and safe, children should enter and leave on the side next to the kerb rather than stepping directly into moving traffic; a responsible adult should choose and confirm the safe side for the situation.
European/common safety guidance—not a unified European traffic code. Seat, age, height and restraint requirements differ by country; a responsible adult must check the rules that apply. Reviewed: 19. 8. 2026.