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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.
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.
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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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
strongest part of an infant’s body, the back
and shoulders. Infants always should be
secured in appropriate infant restraints.
{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.
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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.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.
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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 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.
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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.
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 53for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint
is not properly secured in the vehicle.
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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.
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 hipstraps. 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.
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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 children be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
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 in ates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the
in ating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system 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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, we
recommend that rear-facing child restraints not be
transported in your vehicle, even if the airbag is off.
Wherever you install a child restraint, 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.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
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.
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