2019 AUDI A4 ESP

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

willnot betriggered,eventhoughthecarmaybe
badlydamagedasaresultofthecollision.Itis
notpossibletodefineanairbagtriggeringrange
thatwillcover everypossibleangleofimpact,
sincethecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderablybe-
tweenonecollisionandanother.Importantfac-
torsinclude,forexample,thenature(hardor
soft)oftheimpactingobject,theangleofim-
pact,vehiclespeed,etc.>page283,Howside
curtainairbagswork.
Asidefromtheirnormalsafetyfunction,safety
beltsworktohelpkeepthedriverorfront pas-
sengerinpositioninthe eventofacollisionso
that
thesidecurtainairbagscanprovideprotec-
tion.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthattheairbagsystemcanonlyhelpto
protectyouifyouarewearingyoursafetybelt
andwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherreason
whyyoushould alwayswearyoursafetybelts,
notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodoso
=page253,Generalinformation.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhiletheside
curtainairbagsystemisdesignedtohelpreduce
thelikelihoodof seriousinjuries,otherinjuries,
forexample,swelling,bruising,frictionburns
andminorabrasionscanalsobeassociatedwith
theseairbagsupondeployment.Remembertoo,
theseairbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyin
certainkindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsare
alwaystheretoofferprotection.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystembasically
consistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
—Thesidecurtainairbagsabovethewindowsof
theouterseatingpositionswithejectionmiti-
gationfeatures
—Theairbagindicatorlightintheinstrument
panel
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonforafew
seconds(selfdiagnostics).
Thesidecurtainairbagisnotactivated:
—iftheignitionisturnedoff
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredbythesensoristoolow
—inrear-endcollisions.

Z\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page58,
Frontseats.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
Howsidecurtainairbagswork
Sidecurtainairbagscanworktogetherwithside
airbagstohelpreducetheriskofheadandupper
torsoinjuriesforoccupantswhoareproperlyre-
strained.

~iBSs
2 = S 3


Fig.236Illustrationofprinciple:Inflatedsidecurtainair-
bagsontheleftside
Thesidecurtainairbagsinflatebetweentheoc-
cupantandthewindowsinasidecollision
>fig.236.
When
thesystemistriggered,thesidecurtain
airbagisfilledwithpropellantgasandbreaks
throughaseamabovethefrontandrearside
windowsidentifiedby theAIRBAGlabel.Inorder
tohelpprovidethisadditionalprotection,the
283
>

Airbagsystem

sidecurtainairbagmustinflatewithintheblink
ofaneyeatvery highspeedandwithgreatforce.
The
sidecurtainairbagcouldinjureyouifyour
seatingpositionisnotproperoruprightorif
itemsarelocatedintheareawherethesupple-
mentalsidecurtainairbaginflates.This applies
especiallytochildren>page285.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,sidecurtain
airbagscan“cushion”theimpactandinthisway
theycanhelptoreducetheriskofinjurytothe
headandtheupperpartofthebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisquitenormalanddoesnotmeanthereisa
fireinthevehicle.
Importantsafetyinstructionsontheside
curtainairbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
properlywearsafetybeltsandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowanddotohelpthesafetybeltsandairbags
dotheirjobtoprovidesupplementalprotection.

Z\WARNING
Improperlywearingsafetybeltsandimproper
seatingpositionsincreasetheriskofserious
personalinjuryanddeathwheneveravehicle
isbeingused.
—Neverletoccupantsplaceanypartsoftheir
bodiesintheareafromwhichthesidecur-
tainairbaginflate.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesidecurtainair-
bagscaninflatewithoutinterference.
—Usethebuilt-incoathooksonlyforlight-
weightclothing.Neverleaveanyheavyor
sharp-edgedobjectsinthepocketsthatmay
interferewithairbagdeploymentandcan
cause
personalinjuryinacollision.
—Neverusehangerstohangclothesonthe
hooks.
—Onlyusefactory-installedsunshadesor,if
shadesinstalledafterthevehicleleavesthe
factory,useonlygenuineAudisunshades.
—Neverswingthesunvisorsovertotheside

openers,hands-freespeakers,etc.areat-
tachedtothesunvisors.Theycouldcome
looseandcauseseriousinjuryifthesidecur-
tainairbaginflates.
—Adeployingairbaginflatesinafractionofa
secondandwithgreatforce.
—Neverattachobjectstothecoverorinthe
deploymentzoneofasidecurtainairbag.
—Theairbagdeploymentzonesmustbekept
clearatalltimes.Makesuretherearenoob-
jects,pets,orotherpersonsinthespacebe-
tweenanyvehicleoccupantandanyairbag
atanytime.
—Donotattachanyaccessoriestothedoors.



ZAWARNING
— Theairbagsystemcandeployonlyonce.If
theairbaghasbeentriggered,thesystem
mustbereplacedby anauthorizedAudi
dealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Alwayshaveworkinvolvingthesidecurtain
airbagsystem,removalandinstallationof
theairbagcomponents,orotherrepairsper-
formedbyaqualifieddealership.Otherwise
theairbagsystemmaynotworkcorrectly.
—Neverattempttomodifyanycomponentsof
theairbagsysteminanyway.



windowsifthingssuchaspens,garagedoor

284

8W0012721BG
Childsafety

Childsafety
Importantinformation
Introduction
Therearseatisgenerallythesafestplaceina
collision.
Thephysicalprinciplesofwhathappenswhen
yourvehicleisinacrashapplyalsotochildren
=page254,Whathappenstooccupants not
wearingsafetybelts?.Butunlikeadultsand
teenagers,theirmusclesandbonesarenotfully
developed.Inmanyrespectschildrenareat
greaterriskofseriousinjuryincrashesthan
adults.
Becausechildren'sbodiesarenotfullydeveloped,
theyrequirerestraintsystemsespeciallyde-
signedfortheirsize,weight,and bodystructure.
Manycountriesandallstatesofthe United
StatesandprovincesofCanadahavelawsrequir-
ingthe useofapprovedchildrestraintsystems
forinfantsandsmallchildren.
Inafrontalcrashataspeedof20-35mph(30-
56km/h)theforces actingona13-pound(6kg)
infantwillbemorethan20timestheweightof
thechild.Thismeanstheweightofthechild
wouldsuddenlybemorethan260pounds
(120kg).Undertheseconditions,onlyanappro-
priatechildrestraintproperlyusedcanreduce
theriskofseriousinjury.Childrestraints,like
adultsafetybelts,mustbeusedproperlytobe
effective.Usedimproperly,they canincreasethe
riskof seriousinjuryinanaccident.
Allchildren,especiallythose12yearsand young-
ermustalwaysrideinthebackseatproperlyre-
strainedfortheirageandsize.Ifyoumustinstall
achildrestraintonthefrontpassengerseatin
exceptionalcircumstances,besuretoreadand
heedtheimportantinformationandwarnings
=page262.Infantsandotherchildrenwhoare
properlyrestrainedinanappropriatechildre-
straintthatisfortheirsizeand agecanbenefit
fromtheprotectionthatsupplementalsideair-
bagsprovideinsomekindsofcrashes.
Formoreinformationpleaseseeinformationpro-
videdbythe:
—NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration
(NHTSA),currentlyat:http://www.safercar.gov
(fortheUSA)
—TransportCanadaInformationCentre,currently
at:http://www.tc.gc.ca(forCanada)
Consultthechildsafetyseatmanufacturer'sin-
structionsinordertobesuretheseatisrightfor
yourchild'ssize>page289,Importantsafety
instructionsforusingchildsafetyseats.Please
besuretoreadandheedalloftheimportantin-
formationandWARNINGSaboutchildsafety,Ad-
vancedAirbags,andtheinstallationofchildre-
straintsinthischapter.
ThereisalotyouneedtoknowabouttheAd-
vancedAirbagsinyourvehicleandhowtheywork
wheninfantsandchildreninchildrestraintsare
onthefrontpassengerseat.Becauseofthelarge
amountofimportantinformation,wecannotre-
peatitallhere.Weurgeyoutoreadthedetailed
informationinthisowner'smanualaboutairbags
andtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehicle
andtheveryimportantinformationabouttrans-
portingchildrenonthefrontpassengerseat.
PleasebesuretoheedtheWARNINGS-theyare
extremelyimportantforyoursafetyandthesafe-
tyofyourpassengers,especiallyinfantsand
smallchildren.

ZAWARNING
—Accidentstatisticshaveshownthatchildren
aregenerallysaferintherearseatareathan
inthefrontseatingposition.Alwaysrestrain
anychildage12andunderintherear.
—Allvehicleoccupantsandespeciallychildren
mustberestrainedproperlywheneverriding
inavehicle.Anunrestrainedorimproperly
restrainedchildcouldbeinjuredbystriking
theinteriororbybeingejectedfromtheve-
hicleduringasuddenmaneuverorimpact.
Anunrestrainedorimproperlyrestrained
childisalsoatgreaterriskofinjuryordeath
throughcontactwithaninflatingairbag.
—Asuitablechildrestraintproperlyinstalled
andusedatoneoftherearseatingpositions
providesthehighestdegreeofprotection
forinfantsandsmallchildreninmostacci-
dentsituations.


285

8W0012721BG
Childsafety


onallthetimewhenevertheignitionis
switchedon.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotcomeonandstayon,immediate-
lyinstalltheforward-facingchildseatina
rearseatingpositionandhavetheairbag
systeminspectedbyyourauthorizedAudi
dealer.
—Alwaysbucklethechildseatfirmlyinplace
evenifa childisnotsittinginit.Aloose
childseatcanflyaroundduringasudden
stoporinacollision.
—AlwaysreadandheedallWARNINGS
wheneverusinga childrestraintinavehi-
cle>page253,Safetybelts,>page261,
Airbagsystemand>page285,Important
information.
@)Tips
Alwaysreplacechildrestraintsthatwerein-
stalledinavehicleduringacrash.Damageto
a childrestraintthatisnotvisiblecouldcause
ittofail inanothercollisionsituation.
ONETeeRicercaCele)
Yourvehicleisequippedwithan“AdvancedAir-
bagSystem”incompliancewithUnitedStates
FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard(FMVSS)
208,aswellasCanadaMotorVehicleSafety
Standard(CMVSS)208asapplicableatthetime
yourvehiclewasmanufactured.

TheAdvancedAirbagsysteminyourvehiclehas
beencertifiedtomeetthe“low-risk”require-
mentsfor3-and6-yearoldchildrenonthepas-
sengersideandsmalladultsonthedriverside.
Thelowriskdeploymentcriteriaareintendedto
reducetheriskofinjurythroughinteractionwith
theairbagthatcanoccur,forexample,bybeing
tooclosetothesteeringwheelandinstrument
panelwhentheairbaginflates.Inaddition,the
systemhasbeencertifiedtocomplywiththe
“suppression”requirementsoftheSafetyStand-
ard,toturnoffthefrontairbagforinfantsupto
12monthswhoarerestrainedonthefrontpas-
sengerseatinchildrestraintsthatarelistedin
theStandard.
EventhoughyourvehicleisequippedwithanAd-
vancedAirbagsystem,allchildren,especially
those12yearsandyounger,shouldalwaysridein
thebackseatproperlyrestrainedfortheirage
and
size.Theairbagonthepassengersidemakes
thefrontseatapotentiallydangerousplacefora
childtoride.Thefrontseatisnot thesafestplace
forachildinaforward-facingchildsafetyseat.It
canbeaverydangerousplaceforaninfantora
largerchildinarearward-facingseat.
Thevehicle'sAdvancedAirbagSystemhasaca-
pacitivepassengerdetectionsysteminthefront
passengerseatcushionthatcandetectthepres-
enceofababyorachildinachildrestraintsys-
temonthisseat.
Thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystemregis-
tersthechangesthatresultinanelectricalfield
whenachild,achildrestraint,andababyblanket
areonthefrontpassengerseat.Thechangein
themeasuredcapacitanceduetothe presenceof
achild,a childrestraint,andababyblanketon
thefrontpassengerseatisrelatedtothechildre-
straintsystemrestingontheseat.Themeasured
capacitanceofachildrestraintsystemvariesde-
pendingonthetypeofsystemandspecificmake
andmodel.
Theelectricalcapacitanceofthevarioustypes,
makes,andmodelsofchildrestraintsspecified
bytheU.S.NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAd-
ministration(NHTSA)intherelevant safety
standardarestoredintheAdvancedAirbagSys-
temcontrolunittogetherwiththe capacitances
typicalofinfantsanda1-yearoldchild.Whena
childrestraintisusedonthefrontpassengerseat
withatypical1year-oldinfant,theAdvancedAir-
bagSystemcomparesthecapacitancemeasured
bythecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem
withthedatastoredintheelectroniccontrol
unit.
eaCMeeeTeaANElaeteWtylel)
Regardlessofthechildrestraintthatyouuse,
makesurethatithasbeencertifiedtomeetSafe-
tyStandardsandhasbeencertifiedbyitsmanu-
facturerforusewithanairbag.Alwaysbesure
thatthechildrestraintisproperlyinstalledat
287

8W0012721BG
Childsafety


—Takethechildrestraint offthefrontpassen-
gerseatandinstallitproperlyatoneofthe
rearseatpositionsifthePASSENGERAIR
BAGOFF%;lightdoesnotstayon.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
authorizedAudidealerimmediately.
@Tips
ThechildseatslistedincategoriesAtoC have
beenstaticallytestedbyAudionlyfortheAd-
vancedAirbagfunction.
Importantsafetyinstructionsforusing
childsafetyseats
Correctuseofchildsafetyseatssubstantiallyre-
ducestheriskofinjuryinanaccident!


Asthedriver,youareresponsibleforthesafetyof
everybodyinthevehicle,especiallychildren:
>Alwaysuse therightchildsafetyseatforeach
childandalwaysuseitproperly>page291.
>Alwayscarefullyfollow thechildsafetyseat
manufacturer'sinstructionsonhowtoroute
thesafetybeltproperlythroughthechildsafe-
ty seat.
>Whenusingthevehiclesafetybelttoinstalla
childsafetyseat,youmustfirstactivatethe
convertiblelockingretractoronthesafetybelt
topreventthechildsafetyseatfrommoving
=>page296.
>Pushthechildsafetyseatdownwithyourfull
weighttoget thesafetybeltreallytightso that
theseatcannotmoveforwardorsidewaysmore
thanoneinch(2.5cm).
>Secureunusedsafetybeltsontherearseat
=>page291.
Alwaysremember:Eventhoughyourvehicleis
equippedwithanAdvancedAirbagsystem,all
children,especiallythose12yearsandyounger,
shouldalwaysrideinthe backseat properlyre-
strainedfortheirageandsize.

Z\WARNING
Notusinga childsafetyseat,usingthewrong
childsafetyseatorimproperlyinstallinga



childrestraintincreasestheriskofserious
personalinjuryanddeath.
—Allvehicleoccupantsandespeciallychildren
mustberestrainedproperlywheneverriding
inavehicle.Anunrestrainedorimproperly
restrainedchildcouldbeinjuredbystriking
theinteriororbybeingejectedfromtheve-
hicleduringasuddenmaneuverorimpact.
Anunrestrainedorimproperlyrestrained
childisalsoatgreaterriskofinjuryordeath
throughcontactwithaninflatingairbag.
—Commerciallyavailablechildsafetyseatsare
requiredtocomplywithU.S.FederalMotor
VehicleSafetyStandard(FMVSS)213(in
CanadaCMVSS213).
—Whenbuyinga childrestraint,selectone
thatfitsyourchildandthevehicle.
—Onlyusechildrestraintsystemsthatfully
contacttheflatportionoftheseatcush-
ion.Thechildrestraintmustnottipor
lean toeitherside.Audidoesnotrecom-
mendusingchildsafetyseatsthatreston
legsortube-likeframes.They donotpro-
videadequatecontactwiththeseat.
—Alwaysheedalllegalrequirementsper-
tainingtotheinstallationanduseofchild
safetyseatsandcarefullyfollowthein-
structionsprovidedby themanufacturer
oftheseatyouareusing.
—Neverallowchildrenunder57inches
(1.45meters)towearanormalsafetybelt.
Theymustalwaysberestrainedbyaproper
childrestraintsystem.Otherwise,they
couldsustaininjuriestotheabdomenand
neckareasduringsuddenbrakingmaneu-
versoraccidents.
—Neverletmorethanonechildoccupyachild
safetyseat.
—Neverletbabiesorolderchildrenrideina
vehiclewhilesittingonthelapofanother
passenger.
—Holdinga childinyourarmsisneverasub-
stituteforachildrestraintsystem.
—Thestrongestpersoncouldnotholdthe
childwiththeforcesthatexistinanacci-
dent.Thechildwillstriketheinteriorof
thevehicleandcanalsobestruckby the
passenger.

289

8W0012721BG
Childsafety


comesonandstaysonwheneverachildre-
straintisinstalledonthefrontpassengerseat
andtheignitionisswitchedon.
—Takethechildrestraint offthefrontpassen-
gerseatandinstallitproperlyatoneofthe
rearseatpositionsifthePASSENGERAIR
BAGOFF#¥;lightdoesnotstayon.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
authorizedAudidealerimmediately.
YaeMas-LeetiiaatomdaMTT-T-9



B4G-0466

Fig.237Schematicoverview:keepunusedsafetybelts
awayfromchildreninchildsafetyseats.@)-outerrear
safetybelt,(8)-centerrearsafetybelt
If achildsafetyseatisusedontherearbench,
especiallywithLATCHuniversalloweranchorag-
es,theunusedsafetybeltsmustbesecuredso
that
thechildinthechildrestraintcannotreach
them>A.
—Guidethesafetybeltwebbings(@)and(8)be-
hindtheheadrestraintoftheseatwherethe
childrestraintisinstalled>fig.237.Whendo-
ingso,donotengagetheconvertiblelocking
retractor!Youshould notheara“clicking”
soundwhenwindingupthesafetybelt.
—Letthebeltretractorwindupthesafetybelt
webbing.

Z\WARNING
Achildina childsafetyseatinstalledwiththe
LATCHloweranchoragesorwiththestandard
safetybeltora childinaboosterseatonthe
rearseatcouldplaywithunusedrearseat
safetybeltsandbecomeentangled.This
couldcausethechildseriouspersonalinjury
andevendeath.

—Alwayssecureunusedrearseatsafetybelts
outofreachofchildreninchildseatssuchas
byproperlyroutingthemaroundthehead
restraintoftheseatwherethechildre-
straintisinstalled.
—Neveractivatetheconvertiblelockingre-
tractorwhenroutingthesafetybeltsaround
theheadrestraints.
—Neverletanyonesitatthecenterrearseat-
ingpositionifthecenterrearsafetybelthas
beenroutedaroundarearheadrestraint.

Childsafetyseats
Meaty
Babiesandinfantsuptoaboutone yearoldand
20lbs.or9kgneedspecialrearward-facingchild
restraintsthatsupporttheback,neckandhead
inacrash.

B4l-1424


Fig.238Schematicoverview:rearward-facinginfantseat,
properlyinstalledontherearseat
>Whenusingthevehiclesafetybelttoinstalla
childsafetyseat,youmustfirstactivatethe
convertiblelockingretractoronthesafetybelt
topreventthechildsafetyseatfrommoving
=>page296orinstalltheseatusingtheLATCH
attachments.
>Pushthechildsafetyseatdownwithyourfull
weighttogetthesafetybeltreallytightso that
theseatcannotmoveforwardorsidewaysmore
thanoneinch(2.5cm).
>Secureunusedsafetybeltsontherearseat
=>page291.
Infantsuptoaboutoneyear(20lbs.or9kg)are
bestprotectedinspecialinfantcarriersandchild
safetyseatsdesignedfortheiragegroup.Many
expertsbelievethatinfantsandsmallchildren
291
>

Childsafety

shouldrideonlyinspecialrestraintsinwhichthe
childfacesthebackofthevehicle.Theseinfant
seatssupportthebaby'sback,neckandheadina
crash9fig.238.
Theairbagonthepassengersidemakesthefront
seatapotentiallydangerousplaceforachildto
ride.Thefrontseatisnot thesafest placefora
childinaforward-facingchildseat.Itisavery
dangerousplaceforaninfantoralargerchildin
arearward-facingseat.


ZAWARNING
Notusingachildsafetyseat,usingthewrong
childsafetyseatorimproperlyinstallinga
childrestraintincreasestheriskofserious
personalinjuryanddeathinacrash.
—Neverinstallrear-facingchildsafetyseatsor
infantcarriersonthefrontpassengerseat-
evenwithanAdvancedAirbagSystem.A
childwillbeseriouslyinjuredandcanbekil-
ledwhentheinflatingairbaghitsthechild
safetyseatorinfantcarrierwithgreatforce
andsmashesthechildsafetyseatandchild
againstthebackrest,centerarmrest,door
orroof>page262,Childrestraintsonthe
frontseat-someimportantthingsto
know.
—
Alwaysinstallrear-facingchildsafetyseats
orinfantcarriersontherearseat.
—Neverinstallarear-facingchildrestraintin
theforward-facingdirection.Suchrestraints
aredesignedforthespecialneedsofinfants
andverysmallchildrenandcannotprotect
themproperlyiftheseatisforward-facing.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearwardfacingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstancesandthe
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#%;lightdoesnot
comeonandstayon,immediatelyinstall
therear-facingchildsafetyseatinarear
seatingpositionandhavetheairbagsystem
inspectedbyyourAudidealer.
—Neverplaceoruseanyelectricaldevice
(suchasalaptop,CDplayer,electronic
gamesdevice,powerinverterorseatheater
forchildseats)onthefrontpassengerseat
ifthedeviceisconnectedtothe12-volt
socketorthecigarettelightersocket.


—Ifaseatheaterhasbeenretrofittedor oth-
erwiseaddedtothefrontpassengerseat,
neverinstallanychildrestraintsystemon
thisseat.
—Makesurethattherearenowetobjects
(suchasawettowel)andnowaterorother
liquidsonthefrontpassengerseatcushion.
—Neverplaceobjectsontheseat(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchild
seats).Thesemayinfluencetheelectrical
capacitancemeasuredby thecapacitivepas-
sengerdetectionsystemandcanalsofly
aroundinanaccidentandcauseseriousper-
sonalinjury.
—AlwaysreadandheedallWARNINGSwhen-
everusingachildrestrainedinavehicleis
beingused>page253,Safetybelts,
=>page261,Airbagsystemand>page285,
Importantinformation.


292

8W0012721BG
Childsafety

Thevehicle'ssafetybeltsalonewillnotfitmost
childrenuntiltheyareatleast4ft.9in.(57in-
ches/1.45meters)tallandweighabout80lbs.
(36kg).Boosterseatsraisethesechildrenupso
that
thesafetybeltwillpassproperlyoverthe
strongerpartsoftheirbodiesandthesafetybelt
canhelpprotecttheminacrash.
>Donot use theconvertiblelockingretractor
whenusingthevehicle'ssafetybelttorestrain
a childonaboosterseat.
>
Theshoulderbeltmustlieasclosetothecen-
terofthechild’scollarboneaspossibleand
mustlieflatandsnugontheupperbody.It
mustneverlieacrossthethroatorneck.The
lapbeltmustlieacrossthepelvisandnever
acrossthestomachorabdomen.Makesurethe
beltliesflatandsnug.Pullonthebelt totight-
enifnecessary.
>Ifyoumusttransportanolderchildinaboos-
terseatonthefrontpassengerseat,youcan
usethesafetybeltheightadjustmenttohelp
adjusttheshoulderportionproperly.
>Secureunusedsafetybeltsontherearseat
=>page291.
Childrenuptoatleast8yearsold(over40lbs.or
18kg)arebestprotectedinchildsafetyseatsde-
signedfortheirage andweight. Expertssaythat
theskeletalstructure,particularlythepelvis,of
thesechildrenisnotfullydeveloped,andthey
mustnotusethevehiclesafetybeltswithouta
suitablechildrestraint.
Itisusuallybesttoput thesechildreninappro-
priateboosterseats.Besuretheboosterseat
meetsallapplicablesafetystandards.
Boosterseatsraisetheseatingpositionofthe
childandrepositionboththelapandshoulder
partsofthesafetybeltsothattheypassacross
thechild'sbodyintherightplaces.Theroutingof
thebeltoverthechild'sbodyisveryimportant
forthechild'sprotection,whetherornotaboos-
terseatisused.Childrenage12andundermust
alwaysrideintherearseat.
Childrenwhoareatleast 4ft.9in.(57inches/
1.45meters)tallcangenerallyuse thevehicle's
three pointlapandshoulderbelts.Neveruse the
lapbeltportionofthevehicle'ssafetybeltalone
torestrainanychild,regardlessofhowbigthe
childis.Alwaysrememberthatchildrendonot
have
thepronouncedpelvicstructurerequiredfor
theproperfunctionoflapbeltportionoftheve-
hicle'sthreepointlapandshoulderbelts.The
child'ssafetyabsolutelyrequiresthatalapbelt
portionofthesafetybeltbe fastened snuglyand
aslowaspossiblearoundthepelvis.Neverlet
thelapbeltportionofthesafetybeltpassover
thechild'sstomachorabdomen.
Inacrash,airbagsmustinflatewithinablinkof
aneyeandwithconsiderableforce.Inordertodo
itsjob,theairbagneedsroomtoinflatesothatit
willbetheretoprotecttheoccupantastheoccu-
pantmovesforwardintotheairbag.
Avehicleoccupantwhoisoutofpositionandtoo
closetotheairbaggetsinthewayofaninflating
airbag.Whenanoccupantistooclose,heorshe
willbestruckviolentlyandwillreceiveserious or
possibly
evenfatalinjury.
Inorderfortheairbagtoofferprotection,itis
importantthatallvehicleoccupants,especially
anychildren,whomustbeinthefrontseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstances,beproperly
restrainedandasfarawayfromtheairbagas
possible.By keepingroombetweenthechild's
bodyandthefrontofthepassengercompart-
ment,theairbagcaninflatecompletelyandpro-
vide
supplementalprotectionincertainfrontal
collisions.

ZA\WARNING
Notusingaboosterseat,usingthebooster
seatimproperly,incorrectlyinstalling aboos-
terseatorusingthevehiclesafetybeltim-
properlyincreasestheriskofseriouspersonal
injuryanddeathinacollisionorotheremer-
gencysituation.Tohelpreducetheriskofse-
riouspersonalinjury and/ordeath:
—Theshoulderbeltmustlieasclosetothe
center ofthechild’scollarboneaspossible
andmustlieflatandsnugontheupper
body.Itmustneverlieacrossthethroator
neck.Thelapbeltmustlieacrossthepelvis
andneveracrossthestomachorabdomen.
Makesurethebeltliesflatandsnug.Pullon
thebelttotightenifnecessary.

295