Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries.
If
the airbag inflates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
infant. If
the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thro wn forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larg er children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page for important
info rmation about protecting larger
children).
Even
though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system, which
can automatically turn the
passenger’s front airbag off (see
page ), please f ollow the
guidelines below.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
aged 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat. Some
states and Canadian provinces have
laws restricting where children may
ride. 27
49
CONT INUED
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Inf ant sNever put a rear-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag. Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Larger ChildrenChildren who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
35
µ
If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to:
Carefully read the owner’s manual,
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instru ctions and all safety
info rmation.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the floor.
Ch eck that the child’s seat belt is
properly and secu rely positioned.
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to fasten the seat belts
or sit properly.
Of
course, children vary widel y. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can safely ride in front,
there are other important factors you
should consider.
If the passenger’s front airbag
inflates in a moderate to severe
frontal collision, the airbag can cause
serious injuries to a child who is
unrestrained, improperly restrained,
sitting too close to the airbag, or out
of position.
A side airbag also poses risks. If any
part of a larger child’s body is in the
path of a deploying side airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
age 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat. Physically, a child must be large
enough f or the lap/shoulder belt to
properly f it (see pages and ). If
the seat belt does not f it properly,
with or without the child sitting on a
booster seat, the child should not sit
in f ront.
To saf ely ride in f ront, a child must
be able to f ollow the rules, including
sitting properly, and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.4916
Physical Size
Maturity
When Can a L arger Child Sit in
Front
Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
51
