136 Child S a fet y
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
q page 117, Monitoring the Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas-
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN-
GER AI R BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who ore less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inchesll .45 meters) toll.
Fig. 1 15 Rear seat: child properly restra ined in a boos -
te r seat
Booster seats raise these children 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 re-
stra in a child on a booster seat .
> The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as poss ible
and must lie and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the th roat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pe lvis and never
across the stomac h or abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies f lat and snug . Pull on the be lt
to t ighten if necessary.
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 133 .
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40
lbs. or 18 kg) are best protected in child safe-
ty seats des igned for their age and weight. Ex-
perts say that the skeletal structure, particu-
larly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in ap-
propr iate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seating posit ion of the
child and reposition both the 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 child's protect ion, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rea r seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (S7 in-
ches/1.45 mete rs) tall can gene ra lly us e the
vehicle's t hree point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt port ion of the vehicle 's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard-
less of how big the child is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel-
vic structure required for the proper funct ion
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shou lder belts. The child's safety ab-
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
poss ible a round the pe lvis. Never let the lap
belt port ion 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 considerable force. In order
to do its job, the a irbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be the re to protect the occupan t
as the occupant moves forward into the air-
bag.
A vehicle occu pant who is out of posit ion and
too close to the a irbag gets in the way of an
inflating airbag. When an occupant is t oo
close, he or s he will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in-
jury. .,.
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