2002 MAZDA MODEL B3000 Owners Manual (in English)

²the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant's
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantly monitor the child's condition.
2.Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat
because:
²the vehicle has no rear seat;
²although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or
²the child has a medical condition which, according to the child's
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can constantly monitor the child's condition.
3.Medical condition.A passenger has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
²causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk for the passenger;
and
²makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag in a crash
greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the air bag and
allowing the passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or
windshield in a crash.
WARNING: This vehicle has special energy management safety
belts for the driver and/or right front passenger. These
particular belts are specifically designed to work with air bags
to help reduce the risk of injury in a collision. The energy
management safety belt is designed to give or release additional
belt webbing in some accidents to reduce concentration of force
on an occupant's chest and reduce the risk of certain bone
fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if the air
bag is turned OFF, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to
incur a serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and
the heavier the occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the air
bag is turned ON for any person who does not qualify under the
NHTSA deactivation criteria.
Seating and Safety Restraints
129

Transport Canada air bag deactivation criteria (Canada Only)
1.Infant:An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
²my vehicle has no rear seat;
²the rear seat in my vehicle cannot accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat; or
²the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant's
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the infant's condition.
2.Child age 12 or under:A child age 12 or under must ride in the
front seat because:
²my vehicle has no rear seat;
²although children age 12 and under ride in the rear seat whenever
possible, children age 12 and under have no option but to sometimes
ride in the front seat because rear seat space is insufficient; or
²the child has a medical condition that, according to the child's
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can monitor the child's condition.
3.Medical condition:A passenger has a medical condition that,
according to his or her physician:
²poses a special risk for the passenger if the air bag deploys; and
²makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag deployment
greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the air bag and
experiencing a crash without the protection offered by the air bag
Transport Canada air bag deactivation criteria (continued)
Seating and Safety Restraints
130

WARNING: This vehicle has special energy management safety
belts for the driver and/or right front passenger. These
particular belts are specifically designed to work with air bags
to help reduce the risk of injury in a collision. The energy
management safety belt is designed to give or release additional
belt webbing in some accidents to reduce concentration of force
on an occupant's chest and reduce the risk of certain bone
fractures and injuries to underlying organs. In a crash, if the air
bag is turned OFF, this energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move forward enough to
incur a serious or fatal injury. The more severe the crash, and
the heavier the occupant, the greater the risk is. Be sure the air
bag is turned ON for any person who does not qualify under the
Transport Canada deactivation criteria.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also seeAir bag supplemental restraint system
(SRS)in this chapter for special instructions about using air bags.
Important child restraint precautions
NOTE:You are required by law to use a child-restraint system in the U.S.
and Canada. Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific
requirements regarding the safety of children in your vehicle.
WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision.
NOTE:Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any
infant or child restraint you might use.
WARNING: Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear facing child seat in front of an active air bag.
If you must use a forward facing child seat in the front seat,
position the vehicle seat fully rearward and turn the passenger
air bag off.
Seating and Safety Restraints
131

WARNING: An air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Child seats should never be placed in the front seats, unless
passenger air bag switch is turned off, SeePassenger air bag
on/off switch.
WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger airbag switch is turned off.
WARNING: Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump
seat.
Children and safety belts
If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat.
Children who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your
child safety seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safety restraint and air bag precautions that
apply to adult passengers in your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can
be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child's face or
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
Child booster seats
Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 pounds and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder belt
will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury.
To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Mazda recommends use of a
belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
Seating and Safety Restraints
132

bend comfortably. Booster seats also make the shoulder belt fit better
and more comfortably for growing children.
When children should use booster seats
Children need to use booster seats from the time they outgrow the
toddler seat until they are big enough for the vehicle seat and
lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generally this is when they weigh about
80 lbs (about 8 to 12 years old).
Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions:
²Can the child sit all the way back
against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortably at the
edge of the seat without
slouching?
²Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
²Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
²Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
WARNING: Booster seats must be installed only in seating
positions equipped with a combination lap/shoulder belt.
Types of booster seats
There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:
²Those that are backless.
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield and use the lap/shoulder
belt. If a seating position has a
low seat back and no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child's head (top
of ear level) above the top of the
seat. In this case, use a
high-backed booster seat.
Seating and Safety Restraints
133

²Those with a high back.
If, with a backless booster seat,
you cannot find a seating position
that adequately supports your
child's head, a high back booster
seat would be a better choice.
Both can be used in any vehicle in a seating position equipped with
lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lbs.
The shoulder belt should cross the chest, resting snugly on the center of
the shoulder. The lap belt should rest low and snug across the hips,
never up high across the stomach.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat, placing a rubberized mesh
sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster seat may improve this
condition.
The importance of shoulder belts
Using a booster without a shoulder belt increases the risk of a child's
head hitting a hard surface in a collision. For this reason, you should
never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. It is best to use a booster
seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat- the safest place for children
to ride.
WARNING: Follow all instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the booster seat.
WARNING: Never put the shoulder belt under a child's arm or
behind the back because it eliminates the protection for the
upper part of the body and may increase the risk of injury or
death in a collision.
WARNING: Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a
child. They can slide around and increase the likelihood of
injury or death in a collision.
Seating and Safety Restraints
134

SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions with the
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Review and follow the information
presented in theAir Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
²Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from).
²Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure
the tongue is securely fastened in
the buckle.
WARNING: Do not install a
child seat in a center facing
jump seat.
²Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
Seating and Safety Restraints
135

²Place seat back in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode(passenger side front seat).
Mazda recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position which is capable
of providing a tether anchorage. For more information on top tether
straps, refer toAttaching child safety seats with tether straps.
WARNING: Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's
instructions included with the safety seat you put in your
vehicle. If you do not install and use the safety seat properly,
the child may be injured in a sudden stop or collision.
Installing child safety seats in combination lap and shoulder belt
seating positions
1. Position the child safety seat in
a seat with a combination lap
and shoulder belt.
WARNING: If there is a tether on the child safety seat, attach
it to the tether anchor point. Refer toAttaching child safety
seats with tether strapsin this chapter.
WARNING: Air bags can kill or inure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear facing child seat in the right front seat
unless the air bag on/off switch is turned OFF. If you place a
forward-facing child seat in the right front seat, turn the air bag
on/off switch to OFF. SeePassenger air bag on/off switchin
this chapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
136