2002 CHEVROLET EXPRESS Owners Manual

1-42
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap
-shoulder belts
offer outstanding protection for adults and older
children, 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.
Q:What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased
by the vehicle's owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular restraint should
take into consideration not only the child's weight,
height and age but also whether or not the restraint
will be compatible with the motor vehicle in which
it will be used.For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing
a child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer's instructions that
come with the restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular child restraint.
In addition, there are many kinds of restraints
available for children with special needs.
CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support, including
support for the head and neck. This is necessary
because a newborn 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 seat
settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an infant's
body, the back and shoulders. Infants always
should be secured in appropriate infant restraints.

1-43
CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child's hip
bones are still so small that the vehicle's regular
safety belt may not remain low on the hip bones,
as it should. Instead, it may settle up around the
child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force on a body area that's unprotected by any
bony structure. This alone could cause serious or
fatal injuries. Young children always should be
secured in appropriate child restraints.
Infants and Young Children
(Cargo Vans with Passenger Air Bags)
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap
-shoulder belts
offer outstanding protection for adults and older
children, 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.

1-44
CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support, including
support for the head and neck. This is necessary
because a newborn 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 seat
settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an infant's
body, the back and shoulders. Infants always
should be secured in appropriate infant restraints.
However, infants, who should be restrained in a
rear
-facing child restraint, cannot ride safely in
this vehicle.
CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child's hip
bones are still so small that the vehicle's regular
safety belt may not remain low on the hip bones,
as it should. Instead, it may settle up around the
child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force on a body area that's unprotected by any
bony structure. This alone could cause serious or
fatal injuries. Young children always should be
secured in appropriate child restraints.

1-45
CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby doesn't weigh
much
-- until a crash. During a crash a baby
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it.
For example, in a crash 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.

1-46
Restraint Systems for Children
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed to
restrain or position a child on a continuous flat surface.
Make sure that the infant's head rests toward the center
of the vehicle.
A rear-facing infant seat (B) provides restraint with
the seating surface against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.

1-47
A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for
the child's body with the harness and also sometimes
with surfaces such as T
-shaped or shelf-like shields.
A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.
Some booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner,
and some high
-back booster seats have a five-point
harness. A booster seat can also help a child to see out
the window.

1-48
Q:How do child restraints work?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built
-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add
-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which is
purchased by the vehicle's owner.
For many years, add
-on child restraints have
used the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help
reduce the chance of injury, the child also has to
be secured within the restraint. The vehicle's belt
system secures the add
-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add
-on child restraint's harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three
-point harness, has straps
that come down over each of the infant's shoulders
and buckle together at the crotch. The five
-point
harness system has two shoulder straps, two hip
straps and a crotch strap. A shield may take the
place of hip straps. A T
-shaped shield has shoulder
straps that are attached to a flat pad which rests low
against the child's body. A shelf
- or armrest-type
shield has straps that are attached to a wide,
shelf
-like shield that swings up or to the side.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.
When securing an add
-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be
on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy
from the manufacturer.

1-49 Where to Put the Restraint (Except Cargo
Vans and Cab and Chassis Models)
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors, therefore, recommends that child
restraints be secured in a rear seat including an infant
riding in a rear
-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward
-facing child seat and an older child riding in
a booster seat. If your vehicle has a front passenger
air bag, never put a rear
-facing child restraint in the
front passenger seat. Here's why:
CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear
-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating air bag. If your vehicle
has a right front passenger's air bag, always
secure a rear
-facing child restraint in a rear seat.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
You may 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.