122 Driving Safel y
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
Fig . 129 H ead restr ain t: vi ewed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
11> For adjustable head restraints: adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re
stra int so that it is as close to th is position
as possible¢
fig. 129.
Adjusting head restraints ¢ page 52.
A WARNING
-
Driving without head restraints or with
head restra ints that are not properly ad
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal
neck injury dramatically . To help reduce
the risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted .
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int .
- Always make sure each person in the ve
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re
straint. Adjust the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head .
If that is not possi
ble, try to adjust the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
whi le driving . If you have driven off and m
ust adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be
fore attempting to adjust the head re straint .
- Ch ildren must always be properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appro
priate for their age and size ¢
page 163.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety bel ts can only work
when they are properly posi tioned on the
body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and wi ll even in
crease the r isk of injury and death by moving
the safety be lt to cr it ica l areas o f the body.
Improper seating positions also in cr ea se the
risk of serio us inju ry and death when an a ir
bag deploys and stri kes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position . A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu
pan ts and espec ially for children. Therefore :
i,.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢,& .
T he following bulletins list on ly some samp le
positions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam
ples will make you more aware of seat ing po
s itions that are dangerous.
Th erefore, whenever the vehicle is
mo ving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- never ride with the sea tback re clined
- neve r lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
