____ C_h_i_l_d_S_ a_f _e _ty~ --------------------------------------------
- Always make sure that the chi ld can properly wear the lap
po rtio n of the be lt low across t he th ig hs or pelvis and
never over t he stomach or abdome n.
Child ren up t o abo ut 40 lbs. (18 kg) ar e be st pro t ect ed in child safety
seats des igned for their age a nd weig ht. Experts say that t he skeletal
st ructur e, particular ly t he pelvis, of these children is no t fully deve l-
oped, and they must not use the vehicle safety belts wit ho ut a su it -
able child rest raint.
Children who are at lea st 4 ft . 9 in. (5 7 inch es/ 1.45 me t ers) ta ll can
gene rally use t he vehicle's three po int lap and shoulder belts . Never
use th e lap belt po rt io n of t he vehicle 's safety belt alon e t o res t rain
any child, regard less of how big t he ch ild is. Always remember that
childre n do not have t he pronoun ced pelvi c st ruct ure require d for t he
proper function of lap belt port io n of the vehicle 's t hree point lap and
shoulder be lts . The chi ld's safety absolu t ely requires t ha t a lap belt
portion of t he safe ty belt be fas t ened snugly and as low as possible
aroun d the pelvis . Neve r let t he lap bel t po rt ion of the safety belt
pass over th e child's st oma ch or abdome n.
It is usually best to put these ch ildren in appropriate booster seats.
Be sure t he boos t er seat meet s a ll applicabl e saf ety stan dards .
Boost er seats ra ise the seati ng posi t ion of the child and reposi t ion
bot h the lap an d shoulder parts of th e safety belt so th at t hey pas s
acro ss th e child's body in t he right places. The routing of th e be lt over
the child's body is very im portant for t he ch ild's protection, whethe r
or not a boost e r s eat is used. Children ag e 12 and und er must always
ride in the rea r seat.
In a cras h, a irbag s must inflat e wit hin a blink of an eye and wit h
cons idera ble fo rce. In order t o do its job, the airbag ne eds room to
inflat e so t hat it will be t he re to prot ect th e occupa nt as th e occup an t
mov es forward into t he a irbag.
A vehi cle occup ant who is out of position and too close to t he airba g
ge ts in t he way of an inflatin g airbag. Whe n an occup ant is too clos e,
he or s he will be struck violently and will rece ive serious or poss ibly
eve n fata l injury.
In order for the airbag to offe r protect ion, it is impo rta nt t hat all
vehicle occupant s, esp ecially any childr en, who m ust be in t he front
sea t be cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be pro per ly restra ined
and as far away from t he a irba g as possib le. By keep ing room
betw een t he child's body and t he front of the pass e nger compart-
ment , t he a irbag can inflate completely an d prov ide su pp lemental
prote ction in ce rta in fro nta l collisions.
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster seat improperly, incor-
rectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly increases the risk of serious personal injury and death
in a collision or other emergency situation. To help reduce the risk
of seriou s personal injury and/or death:
• Always make sure to position the shoulder portion of the three-
point belt over the middle of child 's shoulder.
• Never let the shoulder portion of the belt rest against or across
the neck, face, chin, or throat of the child.
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and passes as low as possible across the child's pelvis.
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
cause severe injuries in an accident or other emergency situation
~ page 175 .
• The rear side of the booster seat should be positioned as close
as possible to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or remove
the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat
with the head restraint in place ~
page 74 . Install the head
restraint again immediately once the child seat is removed.
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates.
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