1998 CADILLAC SEVILLE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching
the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones.
And you’d be less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at
your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts
of the
body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s
a sudden stop or a crash.
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Children Smaller Children and Babies
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province
says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
I A CAUTION:
I
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection
for adults, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its air bag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine U
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions
for the restraint will say whether it is
the right type and size for your child.
A very
young child’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not
stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen. In
a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries.
So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained
m a child or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for the
head and neck. This is necessary because an infant’s
neck is weak and its head weighs
so much compared
with the rest
of its body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing restraint settles
into the restraint, so the crash
forces can be distributed across the strongest part of the
infant’s body, the back and shoulders.
A baby should be
secured in an appropriate infant restraint. This is so
important that many hospitals today won’t release a
newborn infant to its parents unless there is an infant
restraint available for the baby’s first trip
in a
motor vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1 A CAUTION: I
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle. A baby doesn’t weigh much -- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become
so
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
CAUTION: (Continued) at
only 25 mph (40
km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-1b. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold. Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
&." What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting a child restraint, take into
consideration not only the child's weight and size,
but also whether or
not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
An infant car bed
(A) is a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle. It's an infant restraint system
designed
to restrain or position a child on a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant's head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear-facing infant
restraints
are designed for infants of up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type
of restraint faces the rear so that the infant’s head,
neck and body can have the support they need
in a
crash. Some infant seats come in two parts
-- the
base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part
is removable.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A forward-facing child restraint (C-E) positions a
child upright to face forward in the vehicle. These
forward-facing restraints are designed
to help
protect children
who are from 20 to 40 lbs.
(9 to 18 kg) and about 26 to 40 inches
(66 to 102 cm) in height, or up to around four years
of age. One type, a convertible restraint, is
designed to be used either as a rear-facing infant
seat
or a forward-facing child seat.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A booster seat (F, G) is designed for children who
are about
40 to 60 lbs. (18 to 27 kg) and about four
to eight years of age. It’s designed to improve the
fit
of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Booster seats
with shields use lap-only belts; however, booster
seats without shields use lap-shoulder belts.
Booster seats can
also help a child to see out
the window.
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