2007 CHEVROLET EXPRESS PASSANGER child restraint

{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.
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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.
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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 flat surface. Make sure that the infant’s
head rests toward the center of the vehicle.
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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.
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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.
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
find 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.SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 54for 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.
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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 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.
{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.
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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. Never put a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat
unless your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system or an airbag off switch and the passenger
airbag status indicator or the airbag off light
shows off.
If your vehicle has a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, there
is a label on your sun visor that 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
or the airbag off switch is designed to turn
off the right front 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
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.
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