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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. 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.
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle's
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby does not
weigh much Ð 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 a person's
arms. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
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{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it in¯ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults and older
children, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system
nor its airbag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide.
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{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 is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
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 ¯at
surface. Make sure that the infant's head rests toward
the center of the vehicle.
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A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the ®t of the vehicle's safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and
some high-back booster seats have a ®ve-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
Q:How Should I Use a Child Restraint?
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. To help reduce
injuries, an add-on child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. With built-in or add-on child
restraints, the child has to be secured within the
child restraint.
When choosing an add-on 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
®nd these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both.
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Securing an Add-on Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child restraint is not properly
secured in the vehicle. Make sure the child
restraint is properly installed in the vehicle
using the vehicle's safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came
with that restraint, and also the instructions in
this manual.To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. See
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-37for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.
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.
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 Ð even when no child
is in it.
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Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. The LATCH
system holds a child restraint during driving or in a
crash. This system is designed to make installation of a
child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint
is properly installed using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the restraint, following
the instructions that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual. When installing a
child restraint with a top tether, you must also use either
the lower anchors or the safety belts to properly
secure the child restraint. A child restraint must never
be installed using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you
need a child restraint equipped with LATCH attachments.
The child restraint manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child restraint and its
attachments. The following explains how to attach a child
restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.Your vehicle has lower anchors and top tether anchors.
Your child restraint may have lower attachments and
a top tether.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars built into the vehicle.
There are two lower anchors for each LATCH seating
position that will accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (B).
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Do not secure a child restraint in the right front
passenger's position if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached. There is no place to attach the top
tether in this position.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. See
Where to Put the Restraint on page 1-36for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to anchors, the restraint will not be able to
protect the child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be seriously injured or killed. Make sure
that a LATCH-type child restraint is properly
installed using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that came with that
restraint, and also the instructions in this
manual.
{CAUTION:
Each top tether anchor and lower anchor in the
vehicle is designed to hold only one child
restraint. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
anchor or attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or others could
be injured if this happens. To help prevent
injury to people and damage to your vehicle,
attach only one child restraint per anchor.
1. Attach the lower attachments to the lower anchors.
If the child restraint does not have lower
attachments or the desired seating position does
not have lower anchors, secure the child restraint
with the top tether and the safety belts. Refer
to your child restraint manufacturer instructions and
the instructions in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired
seating position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower anchors.
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2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that
the top tether be attached, attach the top tether to
the top tether anchor, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
2.2. Pull up on the head restraint to access the
anchors.
2.3. Route and attach the top tether according to
your child restraint instructions and the
following instructions:
If your child restraint has a single or dual top
tether, pull up on the head restraint and route it
under the head restraint and in between the head
restraint posts. Do not route the top tether
around the head restraint.
3. Tighten the lower attachments on the child restraint
to the lower anchors.4. Tighten the top tether according to your child
restraint instructions.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-37.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. 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. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. 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.
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