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Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or a small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
Your vehicle has a back seat where
children can be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry a group of
children, and a child must ride in
front:
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page ). If a child requires close physical
attention or f requent visual contact,
we strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
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If You Must Drive with Several
Children
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Protecting Children General Guidelines
36
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During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. Children
who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles. Know how to
operate the emergency trunk
opener and decide if your children
should be shown how to use this
feature(seepage ).
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
If a child wraps a loose seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or f atally injured.
(See pages and f or how to
activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)
For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. This can prevent
children f rom accidentally f alling
out (see page ).
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the trunk, which
can lead to accidental injury or
death.
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44 45
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt . L ock all doors and t he t runk when
your vehicle is not in use.
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Make sure any unused seat beltt hat a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,and the belt is f ully retracted andlocked. Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle.
Use t he childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t herear doors.
K eep vehicle keys/remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
f or the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.
Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. A rear-f acing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the f ront.
If the passenger’s front airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving their seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking their
seat-back in the desired position.
It could also interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position. Never put a
rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat .
Rear-f acing Child Seat Placement
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
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Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown. A child who is at least one year old,
and who fits within the child seat
maker’s weight and height limits,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing, upright child seat.
In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
f ront passenger’s seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-f acing child seat.
Even with advanced front airbags
that automatically turn the
passenger’s front airbag off (see
page ), a back seat is the saf est
place f or a small child.If the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to cause very
serious or fatal injuries. We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the f ront. We also recommend that a small
child use the child seat until the child
reaches the weight or height limit
for the seat.
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CONT INUED
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith a passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Child Seat Placement
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
39
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during a
collision.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.
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Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the two outer
seating positions in the back seat.
Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, and be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
When buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed f or use with
the lower anchors and tethers for
children (LATCH) system.In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Look f or FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Selecting a Child Seat
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet U.S. or
Canadian Mot or Vehicle Saf et ySt andard 213.
1.
40
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.
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Af ter selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (lower anchors and
tethers for children) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verify that it is secure.
A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as f irmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ Some side-to-side movement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat’s
ef f ectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured.
Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be seriously injured in a crash.
The f ollowing pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a child seat. A f orward-f acing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same f or rear-
f acing child seats.
Bef ore purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specif ic
vehicle seating position or positions
where the seat will be used.
Rear-facing for infants, forward-
f acing f or small children.
Installing a Child Seat
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured. Secure the child in the child seat.
T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
T he child seat should be of the
proper type and size to f it the child.
2.
3. 1.
2. 3.
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors. Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connector as
shown above.
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (lower anchors and tethers
for children) at the outer rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom, and are to be used only with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
The location of each lower anchor is
indicated by a small button above the
anchor point.
1.
2.3.
Installing a Child Seat Using
LATCH
Installing a Child Seat
42
LOWER ANCHORS
Rigid type
BUTTON
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Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it.Lif t the head restraint (see page
), then route the tether strap
through the legs of the head
restraint and over the seat-back,
making sure the strap is not
twisted. Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verify that it is secure. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, then tighten the
strap as instructed by the child
seat maker.
If the tether strap is too long and
cannot be tightened f irmly, f ind a
route where the strap can be
tightened securely.
Other LATCH-compatible seats
have a f lexible-type connector as
shown above. 6.
5.
4. 7.
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Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
43
TETHER STRAP
HOOK
Flexible type ANCHOR
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