2018 AUDI Q5 year 5

Airbag syste m
front seat p assenge r's frontal Ad vanced Airbag.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF ~; light:
-will come on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will come on if t he e lectr ica l capacitance meas ­
u red by the c apac it ive passenger detect ion sys ­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward -facing
or forward-facing chi ld rest raints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
which the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i­
cle was certif ied; For a list ing of the child re­
straints that were used to cert ify your vehicle 's
compliance with t he U .S. Safety Standard
¢ page 293.
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the capacitive
passenger detection system .
- T he
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF ~; light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and . ..
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, o r
-a rearward-fac ing ch ild restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
l ed on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the comb ined capac itance of a typical 1 year­
o ld infant a nd one of t he rearward-fac ing o r
fo rwa rd -fa cing ch ild restrain ts lis ted in Federal
Motor Ve hicle Safety Standard 208 with w hich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified .
I f t he fron t passenger sea t is no t occ upied, the
fron t ai rbag w ill not dep loy, and the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
"1 ; lig ht wi ll stay on.
Neve r install a rearward-fac ing ch ild rest rai nt on
t he fro nt passenge r sea t, the safest p lace for a
chi ld in any k ind of chi ld restraint is at one of t he
seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 2 70,
Child restraints on the front seat
-some impor­
tant things to know
and ¢ page 291, Child safe ­
ty .
282
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
comes on . ..
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light comes
on when one of the condit ions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~;
light stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition
i s on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
does not appear on and does not stay on all the
t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turn ing the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then tur ning it
on
again;
- remove and re install the ch ild restraint . Make
sure that the child restra int is prope rly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senge r sea t has bee n correct ly rou ted th rough
t he ch ild restraint as desc ribed in the c hild r e­
straint man ufacturer's instructions;
- ma ke sure that t he convert ible loc king re tra c­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pu lled tight .
- make sure that no e lectrica l device (s uch as a
laptop , CD p layer , e lectronic games d evice,
power inverte r or seat heater for chi ld seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the c igarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro­
fitted or otherw ise added to the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that noth ing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light still
does not come on and does not stay on cont in u­
ous ly (when the ign ition is switched on),
- take the child restra in t off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
..,.

u co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 <( 0 00
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately.
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
should NOT come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adu lt is sitting in a proper seating position on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASS ENGER AIR
BAG
OFF ~; light comes on and stays on while
driving, under these circumstances, make sure
that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
ho ld ing on to the passenger assist handle
above t he front passenger door o r supporting
the ir we ight on the
a rm rest,
- the safety be lt is be ing properly wo rn and that
the re is not a lot of slack i n the safe ty belt web­
bing,
- the re are no aftermar ket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (s uch as blankets) on the
front passenge r seat tha t migh t cau se the ca ­
pacit ive passenger detection system to miscal ­
cu late electrical capacitance .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; ON@ light
blinks for about 5 seconds to catch the driv­
er's attention. If this happens, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
steps described above.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ,;; light
does not go
off when an adult who is not
very sma ll is sitting on the front passenger
Airbag syste m
seat a fter tak ing the steps described above,
make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer before trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenge r seat.
A WARNING
-
An a irbag system that is not functioning prop­
e rly cannot prov ide supplemental prote ct ion
i n a front al cra sh.
- I f the ai rbag ind icator light
~page 26
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspe cted immedia tely by your
author ized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
,= -
If the front airbag inflates, a child witho ut a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, espec ially 12 years and
younge r, always ride on the back sea t prop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install fo rwa rd or rea r-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat - even with an
Advan ced Airb ag Sys tem.
- I f you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
c a use of ex cep tional cir cums tan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in­
spected by your authorized Aud i dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward- facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justmen t range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position.
283

u co ..... N r--­N ..... 0 <( 0 00
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c> page 262, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children a re at
greater r isk of se rious injury in c rashes than
ad ults .
Because ch ildren's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they requ ire restra int systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc ­
ture. Many coun tries and a ll states of the United
States and p rovinces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 - 35 mph (30 -
56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound (6 kg)
infant will be more than 20 times the weight of
the child . This means the weight of the chi ld
wou ld suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these condit ions, only an appro­
priate ch ild restraint properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used imp roperly, they can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in an acc ident .
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and you ng­
er must a lways r ide in the back seat properly re­
stra ined fo r their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restra int on t he front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and h eed the important information and warnings
c> page 270. Infants and other chi ldren who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re ­
stra int that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental s ide air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
Ch ild saf ety
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http ://www .safe­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www .tc .gc .ca (for Canada)
Cons ult the ch ild safety seat manuf acture r's in­
structions in order to be sure t he seat is right for
yo ur chi ld's size
c> page 295 , Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about ch ild safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your veh icle and how they work
whe n infants and children in child restraints are
on the fro nt passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re­
peat it all he re . We u rge you to read the detailed
i nformat ion in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur veh icle
and the very important information about trans ­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small ch ildren .
A WARNING
-
-Accide nt statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
i n the front seat ing pos it ion. Always restrain
a ny child age 12 and unde r in t he rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restra ined prope rly whe never r id ing
i n a vehicle. An u nres tra ined o r improperly
rest rained chi ld cou ld be inju red by st riking
the interio r or by being ejected from the ve ­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w it h an inflating a irbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
prov ides the h ighest degree of protect io n
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions .
291

on all the time whenever the ignition is
sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~. light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­
ly insta ll the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Aud i
deale r.
- Always buckle the chi ld seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose ch ild seat ca n fly around during a
sudden stop o r in a coll is ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a ch ild restraint in a veh i­
cle
~ page 261, Safety belts, ~ page 269,
Airbag system and ~page 291, Impor­
tant information .
(j) Tips
Always replace ch ild restraints that were in­
stalled in a veh icle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restra int tha t is not visib le co uld cause
it to fail in another collision situation .
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in comp liance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Veh icle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the t ime
your ve hicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" requ ire­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment crite ria are intended to
reduce t he r isk of injury thro ugh inte ract ion with
the airbag t hat can occur, for examp le, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates . In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" req uirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
~ 12 months who are restra ined on the front pas-...,
~ senger seat in child restraints that are listed i n
~ the Standard. 0 <( 0 00
Child s af ety
E ven thoug h your veh icle is equipped with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag system, all chi ldren, especially
those 12 years and younger, should a lways ride
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace for a
ch ild to ride . Th e front seat is not the safest place
fo r a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat.
It
can be a very dangerous place fo r an infant o r a
la rge r ch ild i n a rea rwa rd -facing seat.
T he veh icle 's Advanced A irbag System has a ca­
pacit ive passenger detection system in the front
passenge r seat cushion that can detect the p res ­
ence of a baby or a c hild in a child res tra int sys ­
tem on this seat .
T he capacitive passenger detection system reg is­
te rs the changes that result i n an elect rical field
whe n a child, a ch ild restraint, and a baby b la nket
are on t he fron t passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of a chi ld, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restra int system resting on the seat. The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restra int system var­
ies depend ing on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The electrical capac itance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specif ied
by the U .S . National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
min istrat ion (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem contro l unit together with the capacitances
typ ica l of infants and a 1 -year old child. When a
c h ild restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year -old infant, t he Ad ­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
trol un it .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its manu­
fact urer for use w ith an airbag . Always be s ure
t h at the c hild restraint is properly installed at
IJJ,,
293

u co ..... N ,..._
N ..... 0 <( 0 00
-Take the chi ld restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P AS SEN GER AIR
BA G
OFF ~; light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the veh icle, especially chi ldren:
~ Always use the right chi ld safety seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
~ page 297.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­
ty seat .
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
ch ild safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
~page 302 .
~ Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~ page 297.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced A irbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride i n the back seat properly re­
stra ined fo r their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the w rong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
Ch ild saf ety
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve­
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly restrained
child is a lso at greater r is k of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
- Commerc ially availab le child safety seats
are requi red to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety S tandard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your ch ild and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The ch ild restraint must not t ip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequ ate cont act with the se at.
- Always heed all lega l requirements per­
t ai ning to the insta llation and use of child
safety seats and carefu lly follow the in­
structions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under S7 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one child occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
veh icle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute fo r a chi ld restraint system .
- The st rongest person cou ld no t ho ld the
ch ild with the forces tha t exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
295

u co ..... N r-­N .....
~ 0 co
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OF F
~; light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately .
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig . 241 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. @· oute r rear
safety belt, ® · center rear safety belt
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety be lts
mu st be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them <=>.&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbings @ and @ be­
hind the head restra int of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
<=> fig. 241. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You shou ld not hear a "clicking"
sound when w inding up the safety be lt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LA TC H l ower anchorages or w ith the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
co uld cause the chi ld serious personal i njury
and even death.
Ch ild s afe ty
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convert ible lock ing re­
tractor when rout ing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash .
Fig. 242 Sc hematic overview: rearward-facing in fant seat,
properly i nstalled on th e rear seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
<=> page 302 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachme nts .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
<=>page 297 .
Infants up to about one yea r (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant ca rr ie rs and child
sa fety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small ch ildren
Iii>-
297

Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
f ig . 243 Sche matic overview: installatio n of the attach­
ments applica ble to
a LA TCH seat
Fig. 2 44 Schematic overview: installat ion of the seat using
the vehicle's safety belt system
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢page 302 or install the seat us ing the LA TC H
attachments .
~ Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight so that
the seat cannot move forward o r sideways
more than one inch (2.5
cm)¢ page 302 .
~ If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 308.
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 297.
~ A toddler or child is usually too large for an in-
~ fant restraint if it is more than one year old and r--
~ weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
~ 0 co
Child s afe ty
Todd lers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs . (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi­
fied for their size and
weight¢ fig. 243 and
¢ fig. 244.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward -fac ing child safety seat . It is a
very dangerous place for a n in fant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
_&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or imprope rly insta lling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
-Ch ildren on the front seat of any car, eve n
wit h Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates .
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
va nced Ai rbag System .
-The inflat ing airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, ce nter a rmrest, door
or roof.
- Always ins tall rear-fa cing c hild safety seats
on the rear seat .
-If you m ust instal l a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circ ums tan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light does not
come on and stay on, immediately insta ll
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
-The rear side of the ch ild safety seat shou ld
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
f icult to instal l the ch ild seat with the head ._.
299

Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft.
9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig . 245 Rea r seat: chi ld p roper ly restrained in a booster
sea t
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possib le and
must lie fla t and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary .
.,. If you must transport an older child in a boos­
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 297.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de-
~ signed for their age and we ight. Experts say that .....
~ the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis , of N
~ these children is not fully developed, and they
0 co
Child safety
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro­
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the chi ld's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any ch ild, regard less of how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that child ren do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulde r belts. The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pe lvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child 's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­ pan t moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inf lating
airbag. When an occupant is too close , he or she
will be struck violent ly and w ill rece ive serious or
poss ibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's
..,_
301