Transporting children safelyCONTROLS
43
Transporting children safely
The right place for
children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening the
doors, for example.<
Children should always sit in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seat.
Only transport children under the age of
13 or smaller than 5 ft/150 cm in the rear
in a child restraint system suitable for their age,
weight and size. Othe rwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent. <
Children 13 years of age or older must be buck-
led in with a safety belt as soon as there no
longer is any child restraint system that is appro-
priate for their age, size and weight.
Exception for front passenger seat
Front passenger airbags
Should it be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags must be deacti-
vated. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of
injury to the child if th e airbags deploy, even if
the child is seated in a child restraint system. <
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page 76.
Child restraint systems,
installation
Before installing a child restraint system on the
rear seats, move the seat as far back as possible. After the child restraint system has been
installed on the respecti
ve rear seat, move the
backrest forward so that the it rests lightly
against the child restraint system, refer to Rear
seat backrests on page 98.
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions when selecting,
installing and using chil d restraint systems. Oth-
erwise, the protective effect may be dimin-
ished. <
On the front passenger seat
After installing a child restraint system on
the front passenger seat, make sure that
the front, side, and knee airbags for the front
passenger are deactivated; otherwise, there is
an increased risk of injury if the airbags deploy. <
Seat position
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back and up
* as
possible to obtain the be st possible position for
the belt. Do not change the seat position after
this.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the
front passenger can be prevented from being
pulled out in order to se cure child restraint sys-
tems.
Technology for driving comfort and safetyCONTROLS
77
activates or deactivates the front, side, and knee
airbags for the front passenger.Make sure that the front passenger's feet
remain in the footwell; otherwise, it is not
possible to guarantee the function of the front
passenger airbags. <
The indicator lamp above the interior rearview
mirror shows the current status of the front pas-
senger airbags, deactivate d or activated, refer to
Status of front passenger airbags below.
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, read the safety informa-
tion and follow the instructions under Transport-
ing children safely, page 43.<
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation
When teenagers and adul ts assume certain sit-
ting positions, this can cause the front, side, and
knee airbags to deactiva te. The indicator lamp
for the front passenger airbags lights up when
this occurs. In such cases, the passenger should
change his or her sittin g position so that the
front passenger airbags are activated and the
indicator lamp goes out. If the desired airbag
status cannot be achieved by changing the sit-
ting position, transport the relevant passenger
on a rear seat.
> Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats or
other items to the front passenger seat
unless they are specifically recommended
by the manufacturer of your MINI.
> Do not place items on the front passenger
seat.
> Do not place items un der the seat which
could press against th e seat from below.
Status of front passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags shows the functional status of the front
passenger's front, side , and knee airbags in
accordance with whether and how the front
passenger seat is occupied. The indicator lamp
shows whether the front passenger airbags are
activated or deactivated.
> The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a specially designated child restraint system
i s p r o p e r l y d e t e c t e d o n t h e s e a t o r t h e s e a t i s
unoccupied.
The front, side, and knee airbags for the
front passenger are not activated.
Most child seats are detected by the
system. This particularly applies to
child seats that were required by NHTSA at
the time of manufacture of the vehicle. After
installing a child seat, check that the indica-
tor lamp for the front passenger airbags
lights up. It indicates that the child seat has
been detected and that the front passenger
airbags are deactivated. <
> The indicator lamp does not come on as long
as a person of sufficient size and in a correct
sitting position is detected on the seat.
The front, side, and knee airbags for the
front passenger are activated.
