The law requires the use of whatever seat belt system the seating position provides. Therefore, if a position is equipped with only a lap belt, that is sufficient for compliance. If the position has a lap and shoulder belt, both must be worn. Cars equipped with air bags also provide lap and shoulder belts that must be worn. Vehicles with automatic seat belts must have those systems hooked up and used by the occupants.
Some cars have automatic shoulder belts with lap belts that are fastened manually.
These manual lap belts must be used for compliance and for maximum protection. Children less than age 16 are covered under North Carolina's child restraint law. The safety seat must be secured in the back seat if the vehicle has an active front passenger-side airbag. Children 5 years of age or older may be buckled in using just a seat belt. Children are allowed in the open bed of a pickup truck if there is an adult present supervising the child, if the child is secured in a seat belt installed in a manner approved by the Commission of Motor Vehicles, if an emergency exits, if the truck is being used for agricultural purposes, or if the truck is being operated in a county with no incorporated area of a population greater than 3,500.