1998 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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-lb. (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 fiom 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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle.
If it is, it
will
have a label saying that it meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints
use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance
of personal injury.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will show you how to
do that. Both the owner’s
manual and the child restraint instructions are important,
so if either one of these is not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint in the rear seat.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
A child in a rearfacing child rL,,raint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates, even though your vehicle has
reduced-force frontal air bags. This is because
the back of
a rearfacing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating air bag. Always secure
a rearfacing child restraint in the rear seat.
You may, however, secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front
seat, but before you
do, always move the front passenger seat
as far
back as it will go. It’s better to secure the child
restraint in
a rear seat.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move
around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child
restraint
in your vehicle -- even when no child is in it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored. If you have a convertible, don’t use a restraint
like that in your vehicle because the top strap anchor
cannot be installed properly. You shouldn’t use this type
of restraint without anchoring the top strap.
If your vehicle is not a convertible and you need to have
an anchor installed, you can ask your Chevrolet dealer to
put one in for you. If you want to install an anchor
yourself, your dealer can tell you how
to do it.
Canadian law requires that child restraints have a top
strap, and that the strap be anchored.
If your child restraint has a top strap, your dealer can
obtain a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions specifically designed for this vehicle. The
dealer can then install the anchor for you. In Canada,
this work will be done for you free of charge.
Or, you
may install the anchor yourself using the instructions
provided in the kit.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
U
You'll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one. Be sure
to follow the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and
as the instructions say.
1.
2.
Put the restraint on the seat.
Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you
how.
Tilt the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child's face
or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
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