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. 245 Rear seat: child proper ly restrained in a booster
sea t
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in-
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these ch ildren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen-
ter of t he child's collar bone as possib le 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
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on th e belt to tight-
en if necessary .
.,. If you must transport an older child in a boos-
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 297.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de-
a
~
signed for their age and we ight. Experts say t hat
N
~
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis , of
g these children is not fu lly developed, and they
:E
'<I'
Child safety
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro-
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child an d reposition both th e lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The routing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the ch ild'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 vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any ch ild, regard less of how big the
child is. Always remember that child ren do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the ve-
hicle's three point lap and shoulde r belts. The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible aro und the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt 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-
pan t moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occup ant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag 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 serious or
poss ibly even fata l injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be-
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's ..,_
301
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