Transporting children safely
185
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Transporting children safelyWhat you should know about transporting children!An introduction to the subject Accident statistics have revealed that children are generally more safely transported on the rear seat
s than on the fron
t passenger seat.
Children younger than 12 years of age should
normally travel on the rear seat of the
vehicle (take note of any na
tional legal provisions which differ from this). They
should be secured there by means of a child restraint system or by using the existing seat belts depending on their age, body si
ze and weight. The child seat should be
mounted behind the front passen
ger seat for safety reasons.
The physical principle of an accident do
es, of course, also apply to children
⇒ page 169, “The physical principle of a fronta
l collision”. They differ from adults in
that their muscles and bone structure of ch
ildren are not yet fully developed. Thus
children are exposed to increased risk of injury. Children should be transported by using special child safety seats in order to reduce this risk of injury. Use only child safety seats which are offici
ally approved and are suitable for chil-
dren and which comply with the ECE-R 44
standard, which classifies child safety
seats into 5 groups
⇒page 188, “Classification of child seats into groups”. Child
restraint systems which have been tested for conformity to ECE-R 44 standard have a non-detachable test seal (a large E within
a circle and below this the test number)
attached to the seat. We recommend that you use ch
ild safety seats from the Škoda genuine accessories.
These child seats were developed and also
tested for use in Škoda vehicles. They
fulfil the ECE-R 44 standard.
WARNING
Always comply with legal provisions and instructions from the relevant child safety seat manufacturer when in
stalling and using the child seat
⇒ page 185, “Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats”.
Note
Any varying national legal regulations take priority over the information provided in these instructions for use, or stated in this chapter.Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats Correct use of child safety seats
considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•
All the occupants of the car - in particular children - must wear a seat belt
when the car is moving.•
Children who are less than 1.50 m in height and who weigh less than 36
kg must not use a normal seat belt without a child restraint system other- wise this may result in injuries to the stomach and neck areas. Comply with the national legal requirements.•
One should never carry children, and also not babies! - on one's lap.
•
You can transport a child safely in
a suitable child safety seat
⇒page 188,
“Child seat”!•
Only one child may be fastened with a seat belt into a child safety seat.
•
Never leave the child sitting unattended in the seat.
•
Certain outside climatic conditions can cause life-threatening tempera-
tures in the vehicle.
WARNING (continued)
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Transporting children safely
186
•
Never allow your child to be transported in a vehicle without the use of a
suitable restraint system.•
Children should also never stand up in a vehicle or kneel on the seats
when the vehicle is moving. In the even
t of an accident the child will be
thrown through the vehicle and may as a
result suffer fatal
injuries, and also
injure other occupants.•
Children are exposed to an increased risk
of injury in the event of an acci-
dent if they lean forward or adopt an incorrect seated position when the vehicle is moving. This particularly applies to children who are transported on the front passenger seat if the airb
ag system deploys in the event of an
accident. This can result in severe or even fatal injuries.•
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts
are to offer their maximum protection
⇒page 170, “How are seat belts
correctly fastened?”. Pay particular atte
ntion to the information provided by
the manufacturer of the child safety se
at regarding correc
t routing of the
belt. Seat belts which are
not correctly adjusted ca
n themselves cause inju-
ries even in minor accidents.•
Safety belts must be checked to ensure that they are running properly.
One should also ensure that the belt
is not damaged by sh
arp-edged fittings.
•
It is essential to always switch off
⇒page 183 the front passenger airbag
when attaching a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat where the
child is seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also when the child is facing the direction of travel). If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe
or even fatal injuries if the front
passenger airbag is deploy
ed. In certain countries national legal provisions
also require that the si
de and head airbags be
deactivated. When trans-
porting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appro- priate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
Use of child safety seats on the front passenger seat Child safety seats should always
be attached to the rear seats.
We recommend, for safety reasons, that you always mount a child restraint systems on the rear seats whenever possible. If you still decide, however, to use a child safety seat on the front passenger seat th
en you must pay attention to the following
warnings in connection with the use of th
e airbag system on the front passenger
seat.
WARNING
•
Warning - particular hazard! Never use a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat in which the child is seat
ed with its back facing the direction
of travel. This child safety seat is positioned in the deployment area of the front passenger airbag. The airbag may
cause the child severe, or even fatal
injuries, in the event of it being deployed.•
This is also clearly stated on the sticker which is located on the centre
column of the body on the front passenger side
⇒fig. 180
. The sticker is
visible upon opening the front passen
ger door. For some countries, the
sticker is also affixed to the sun visor of the front passenger.•
It is essential to always switch off
⇒page 182, “Deactivating an airbag”
the front passenger airbag when attach
ing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat where the child is seated
with its back facing in direction of
travel (in some countries al
so when the child is facing the direction of travel).
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 180 Sticker on the centre column of the body on the front passenger side.
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