Child s a fet y
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig. 251 Rear seat: child proper ly restra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children unt il they are at least 4 ft . 9 in. (57 in-
ches/1. 4 5 meters) t all and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Boost er sea t s raise these children up so
that t he safety bel t will pass properly ove r the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.. Do not use t he conve rt ible locking retra ctor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to rest rain
a child on a booster seat.
.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen-
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
ac ross the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on t he belt to tight-
en if ne cessa ry.
.. Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height ad-
justment: If yo u must t ransport an older child
in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt he ight adjustment
to help adjust the shoulder portion properly.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 300.
Child ren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in ch ild safety seats de-
signed fo r thei r age and we ight . Experts say that
the skeleta l struct ure, particularly the pelvis, of
304
t hese children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitab le child restraint .
It is usually best t o put t hese children in appro-
priate booste r seats. Be sure the booste r seat
meets a ll applicab le safety standards .
Booster sea t s raise the seating posi t ion of t he
child a nd reposi t ion both t he lap and shoulde r
parts of t he safety belt so that t hey pass across
the child 's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the ch ild's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos-
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat .
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the veh icle's safety belt alone
to restra in any ch ild, regard less of how big t he
child is. Always remember that children do not
have t he pronounced pelvic str ucture required fo r
the proper function of lap be lt po rt ion of t he ve-
hicle's three point lap a nd shoulder belts. The
child's safety abso lutely requi res that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possib le aro und the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety be lt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job , the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu-
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of pos it ion and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violent ly and will rece ive serio us or
possibly eve n fatal injury.
In order for the a irbag to offer protect ion, it is
importa nt that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be -
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be prope rly
restra ined and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between th e child's
body and t he fron t of the passenger compa rt -
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and ..,.
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