132 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 . 145 H ead restraint: viewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
i,.. 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 this position
as possible ¢
fig. 145. Move the head re
stra int so that it is as close to the back of
the head as possible .
i,.. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re
stra int upward at least to the next notch.
Adjust ing head restraints¢
page 55.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints tha t are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser io us or fa
tal neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and proper ly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the vehicle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Always make su re each pe rson in the ve
hicle proper ly adjusts the ir head re
straint . Ad just the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with the top of yo
ur head. If that is not possi
ble, t ry to ad just the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos
sible. Move the head rest raint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and m ust adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be
fore at tempting to a djust the head re
straint.
- Ch ild ren mus t always be prope rly re
s trained in a child rest rain t that is appro
p ria te fo r their age and size ¢
page 173.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle o ccupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions ca n cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only wo rk
whe n they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the p roper s eating position. A dr iver is
r esponsible fo r the safety of all veh icle occu
pants and espe cially for child ren. The re fore:
i,.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢& .
The following bullet ins list o nly some sample
pos itions that will increase the r isk of serious
injury and death. Our hope is that t hese exam
ples will make yo u more aware o f seat ing po
s it ions tha t are dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand u p in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
