2010 CADILLAC ESCALADE Owners Manual

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats shouldwear the vehicle's safety belts.
The manufacturer's instructions that come with thebooster seat, state the weight and height limitations forthat booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder beltuntil the child passes the below fit test:
.Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the kneesbend at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no,return to the booster seat.
.Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulderbelt rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, tryusing the rear safety belt comfort guide. See“RearSafety Belt Comfort Guides”underLap-ShoulderBelton page 2!39for more information. If theshoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder,then return to the booster seat.
.Does the lap belt fit low and snug on the hips,touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, returnto the booster seat.
.Can proper safety belt fit be maintained for lengthof trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to thebooster seat.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a positionwith a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restrainta shoulder belt can provide.
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Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt andget the additional restraint a shoulder belt canprovide. The shoulder belt should not cross the faceor neck. The lap belt should fit snugly below thehips, just touching the top of the thighs. This appliesbelt force to the child's pelvic bones in a crash.It should never be worn over the abdomen, whichcould cause severe or even fatal internal injuries ina crash.
Also see“Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides”underLap-Shoulder Belt on page 2!39.
According to accident statistics, children and infants aresafer when properly restrained in the rear seatingpositions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strikeother people who are buckled up, or can be thrown outof the vehicle. Older children need to use safety beltsproperly.
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear the same safety
belt. The safety belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A safety
belt must be used by only one person at a time.
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{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never allow a child to wear the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing the lap-shoulder
belt properly. In a crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt. The child could
move too far forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. The child might also slide
under the lap belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across the chest.
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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includesinfants and all other children. Neither the distancetraveled nor the age and size of the traveler changesthe need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,the law in every state in the United States and in everyCanadian province says children up to some age mustbe restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Airbags plus lap!shoulder belts offer protection foradults and older children, but not for young children andinfants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system nor itsairbag system is designed for them. Every time infantsand young children ride in vehicles, they should havethe protection provided by appropriate child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strikeother people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant will
suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person's arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
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{WARNING:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint
(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the
right front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
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Q: What are the different types of add-on childrestraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by thevehicle's owner, are available in four basic types.Selection of a particular restraint should take intoconsideration not only the child's weight, height, andage but also whether or not the restraint will becompatible with the motor vehicle in which it willbe used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there aremany different models available. When purchasing achild restraint, be sure it is designed to be used in amotor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a labelsaying that it meets federal motor vehicle safetystandards.
The restraint manufacturer's instructions that comewith the restraint state the weight and heightlimitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,there are many kinds of restraints available forchildren with special needs.
{WARNING:
To reduce the risk of neck and head injury during
a crash, infants need complete support. This is
because an infant's neck is not fully developed
and its head weighs so much compared with
the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing child restraint 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 should always be secured in
rear-facing child restraints.
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{WARNING:
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. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash,
young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infantseat (A) provides restraintwith the seating surfaceagainst the back ofthe infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in acrash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing childseat (B) provides restraintfor the child's body withthe harness.
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A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed toimprove the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.A booster seat can also help a child to see outthe window.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{WARNING:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child restraint is not properly secured
in the vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly
in the vehicle using the vehicle's safety belt or
LATCH system, following the instructions that
came with that child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraintmust be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systemsmust be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lapbelt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCHsystem. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children(LATCH)on page 2!59for more information. A childcan be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is notproperly secured in the vehicle.
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