1998 CHEVROLET EXPRESS Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine / CAUTION:
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 in 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.

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 124b. (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.
1-43

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1 Smaller Children and Babies (Cargo Vans
with Passenger Air Bags)
r
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 if your vehicle has
reduced-force 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.
A CL-. ON:
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. Smaller children
and babies should always be restrained in a child
restraint. However, infants, who should be
restrained in a rear-facing child restraint, cannot
ride safely in this vehicle. The instructions for the
restraint will say whether it
is the right type and
size for your child.
If a forward-facing child
restraint is suitable for your child, be sure the
child is always properly restrained while riding in
this vehicle.
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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
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-1b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-1b. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
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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
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.
child restraints?
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.
1-47

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 i
A booster seat (F, G) is designed for children who
are about
40 to 60 lbs. (1 8 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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