2007 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inates 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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
49

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.
50

{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.
51

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.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.
52

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.
53

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.SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 57for 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 — even
when no child is in it.
54

Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
There are several systems for securing the
child within the child 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 ve-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 at 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.
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed
in a crash if the child is not properly
secured in the child restraint. Make sure
the child is properly secured, following the
instructions that came with that restraint.Because there are different systems, it is
important to refer to the instructions that come
with the restraint. A child can be endangered
in a crash if the child is not properly secured
in the child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer
if they are restrained in the rear rather than
the front seat. We recommend 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.
55

Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun
visor says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat
in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger’s airbag inates. This
is because the back of the rear-facing
child restraint would be very close to
the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal airbag if the system
detects a rear-facing child restraint,
no system is fail-safe, and no one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. We recommend
that rear-facing child restraints be secured
in the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you need to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center
front seat can be badly injured or killed
by the right front passenger’s airbag if it
inates. Never secure a child restraint in
the center front seat. It is always better to
secure a child restraint in the rear seat.
56