1998 CHEVROLET TRACKER engine

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
I A CAUTION:
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.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
1-34

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Children
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.
Smaller Children and Babies
A CAUTION:
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.
1-35
.- -

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
SwaIler 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
mall 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 fiead 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.
1-36

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I A CAUTION:
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.
1-37

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.
ghild 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.
1-38

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.
1-39

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.
1-40

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
1-41