SEAT BELT
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a seat belt properly.
• Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your abdomen. To remove slack in the lapportion, pull up a bit on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight, tilt the latch
plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug belt reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in a collision.
• Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retractor will withdraw any slack in the belt.
• A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect you from injury during a collision. You are more likely to hit your head in a collision if you do not wear your shoulder belt. The lap and
shoulder belt are meant to be used together.
• A belt that is too loose will not protect you properly. In a sudden stop you could move too far forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat belt snugly.
• A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision and leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose parts. Damaged parts must be
replaced immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the system. Seat belt assemblies must be
replaced after a collision if they have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing, etc.).
• The seat belts for both front seating positions are equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
• A deployed pretensioner or a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer much greater injuries if you are not buckled
up properly. You can strike the interior of your vehicle or other passengers, or you can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Always be sure you and others in your vehicle are buckled up
properly.
CHILD RESTRAINTS
• Children 12 years and under should ride properly buckled up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seats rather
than in the front.
• Every state in the United States and all Canadian provinces require that small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
NOTE:
• For additional information, refer to www.seatcheck.org or call 1–866–SEATCHECK.
• Canadian residents, should refer to Transport Canada’s website for additional information.
• http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-index-53.htm
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NOTE:
Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path from the child seat to the anchor.
• From inside the trunk, open the access cover on the carpet covering the back of the seat andattach the tether strap hook to the anchor.
• Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the anchor and remove slack in the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions.
WARNING!
• In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby, can become a projectile inside the
vehicle. The force required to hold even an infant on your lap could become so great that
you could not hold the child, no matter how strong you are. The child and others could be
severely injured or killed. Any child riding in your vehicle should be in a proper restraint for
the child's size.
• Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in the front seat of a vehicle with a front
passenger air bag. An air bag deployment could cause severe injury or death to infants in
this position.
• Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. The child could be severely injured or killed. Follow the manufac-
turer’s directions exactly when installing an infant or child restraint.
• An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to increased head motion and possible
injury to the child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind the child seat to secure a
child restraint top tether strap.
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