Transporting children safely
180
Transporting children safelyWhat you should know ab out transporting children!An introduction to the subject
Accident statistics have revealed that children are generally more safely
transported on the rear seats than on the front passenger seat.Children younger than 12 years of age should normally travel on the rear seat of the
vehicle (take note of any national legal provis ions 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 size and we ight. The child seat should be mounted
behind the front passenger seat for safety reasons.
The physical principle of an accident does, of course, also apply to children
page 165, “The physical principle of a fronta l collision”. They differ from adults in
that their muscles and bone structure of children are not yet fully developed. Thus chil-
dren are exposed to increased risk of injury.
Children should be transporte d by using special child safety seats in order to reduce
this risk of injury!
Use only child safety seats which are officia lly approved and are suitable for children
and which comply with the ECE-R 44 standard, which classifies child safety seats into
5 groups page 182, “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 child 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 installing and using the child seat page 180,
“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 otherwise 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 182,
“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.
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 event 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 in correct seated position when the vehicle
is moving. This particularly applies to children who are transported on the front
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Transporting children safely181
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
passenger seat if the airbag system deploy
s 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 167, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. Pay particular attention to the information provided by the manu-
facturer of the child safety seat regarding correct routing of the belt. Seat belts
which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries 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 sharp-edged fittings.
It is essential to always switch off th e front passenger airbag when attaching
a child safety seat to the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its
back facing in direction of travel page 178. If this is not done, there is a risk of
the child suffering severe or even fatal in juries if the front passenger airbag is
deployed. In certain countries national legal provisions also require that the
side and head airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate 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 then you must pay attention to the following warnings in
connection with the use of the 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 seated 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 th e child severe, or even fatal injuries,
in the event of it being deployed.
This is also clearly stat ed on the sticker which is located on the centre
column of the body on the front passenger side fig. 162 . The sticker is visible
upon opening the front passenger door. For some countries, the sticker is also
affixed to the sun visor of the front passenger.
It is essential to always switch off the front passenger airbag when a child
safety seat is nevertheless attached to the front passenger seat where the child
is seated with its back facing in direction of travel page 178, “Deactivating an
airbag”. If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even
fatal injuries if the front passenger ai rbag is deployed. In certain countries
national legal provisions also require that the side or head passenger airbags
be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please
comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child
safety seats.
If the front passenger airbag has been switched off by a specialist garage
using the vehicle system tester, the front side airbag and head passenger
airbag* remains switched on. In certain countries national legal provisions
require that besides the front passenger ai rbag also the side or head passenger
airbags are deactivated. Please comply wi th any differing national legal regula-
tions regarding the use of child safety seats.
If a child safety seat in which the child faces in the direction of travel is used
on the front passenger seat, the front pa ssenger seat must be moved back and
to the top fully in the highest position.
If this is not done, a child seated on the front passenger seat may suffer
severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag or airbags are
deployed. Have the airbag (or ai rbags) deactivated if necessary page 178,
“Deactivating an airbag”.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 162 Sticker on the centre column of
the body on the front passenger side.
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