
8W0012721BG
Safetybelts
mayalsolockwhenyoudriveupordownasteep
hillorthroughasharpcurve.Duringnormaldriv-
ingthebeltletsyoumovefreely.
Safetybeltpretensioners
Safetybeltswithpretensionershelptotighten
thesafetybeltandremoveslackwhenthepre-
tensionersareactivated>page259.Thefunc-
tionofthepretensionerismonitoredbyawarn-
inglight>page23.
Convertiblelockingretractor
Everysafetybeltexcept theoneonthedriver
seatisequippedwithaconvertiblelockingretrac-
torthatmustbeusedwhenthesafetybeltis
usedtoattacha childsafetyseat.Besuretoread
theimportantinformationaboutthisfeature
=>page296.
ZA\WARNING
Improperlypositionedsafetybeltscancause
seriousinjuryinanaccident>page257,
Safetybeltposition.
—Safetybeltsofferoptimumprotectiononly
whentheseatbackisuprightandbeltsare
properlypositionedonthebody.
—Alwaysmakesurethattherearseatbackrest
towhichthecenterrearsafetybeltisat-
tachedissecurelylatchedwhenevertherear
centersafetybeltisbeingused.Iftheback-
restisnotsecurelylatched,thepassenger
willmoveforwardwiththebackrestduring
suddenbraking,inasuddenmaneuverand
especiallyinacrash.
—Neverattachthesafetybelttothe buckle
foranotherseat.Attachingthebelttothe
wrongbucklewillreducesafetybelteffec-
tivenessandcancauseseriouspersonalin-
jury.
—Apassengerwhoisnotproperlyrestrained
canbeseriouslyinjuredbythesafetybeltit-
selfwhenitmovesfromthestrongerparts
ofthebodyintocriticalareasliketheabdo-
men.
—Alwayslocktheconvertiblelockingretractor
whenyouaresecuringa childsafetyseatin
thevehicle>page298.
SFLi-1amelieLetha(o)a)
Correctbeltpositionisthekeytogettingmaxi-
mumprotectionfromsafetybelts.
B4H-0751
Fig.223Safetybeltposition
Standardfeaturesonyourvehiclehelpyouadjust
thepositionofthesafetybelttomatchyourbody
size.
—beltheightadjustmentforthefrontseats,
—height-adjustablefrontseats.
Z\WARNING
Improperlypositionedsafetybeltscancause
seriouspersonalinjuryinanaccident.
—Theshoulderbeltshouldlieasclosetothe
center ofthecollarboneas possibleand
shouldfitwellonthebody.Holdthebelt
abovethelatchtongueandpullitevenly
acrossthechestsothatitsitsaslowaspos-
sibleonthepelvisandthereisnopressure
ontheabdomen.Thebeltshouldalwaysfit
snugly>fig.223.Pullonthebelttotighten
ifnecessary.
—Thelapbeltportionofthesafetybeltmust
bepositionedaslowaspossibleacrosspel-
visandneverovertheabdomen.Makesure
thebeltliesflatandsnug>fig.223.Pullon
thebelttotightenifnecessary.
—Aloose-fittingsafetybeltcan causeserious
injuriesbyshiftingitspositiononyourbody
fromthe strongbonestomorevulnerable,
softtissueandcauseseriousinjury.
—AlwaysreadandheedallWARNINGSand
otherimportantinformation>page255.
257

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem
—Improperinstallationofchildrestraintscan
reducetheireffectivenessorevenprevent
themfromprovidinganyprotection.
—Animproperlyinstalledchildrestraintcan
interferewiththeairbagasitdeploysand
seriouslyinjureorevenkillthechild-even
withanAdvancedAirbagSystem.
—Alwayscarefullyfollowthe manufacturer's
instructionsprovided withthechildsafety
seatorcarrier.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereisnothingon
thefrontpassengerseatthatwillcausethe
capacitivepassengerdetectionsystemin
theseattosignaltotheAirbagSystemthat
theseatisoccupiedbyapersonwhen itis
not, ortosignalthatitisoccupiedbysome-
onewhoisheavierthanthepersonactually
sittingontheseat.Thepresenceofaddi-
tionalobjectscouldcausethepassenger
frontairbagtobeturnedonwhenitshould
beoff,orcouldcause theairbagtoworkina
waythatisdifferentfromthewayitwould
haveworkedwithouttheobjectontheseat.
Frontairbags
pyTdetyeCelaMeMilaligey-lel)
Theairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemental
protectiontoproperlyrestrained frontseatoccu-
pants.
ao8
Ss
2
=aa
Fig.227Locationofdriverairbag:insteeringwheel
B8W-0054
Fig.228Locationoffrontpassenger'sairbag:intheinstru-
mentpanel
Yourvehicleisequippedwithan“AdvancedAir-
bagSystem”incompliancewithUnitedStates
FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard
(FMVSS)208,aswellasCanadaMotorVehicle
SafetyStandard(CMVSS)208asapplicableat
thetimeyourvehiclewasmanufactured.
Theairbagforthedriverisinthesteeringwheel
hub>fig.227andtheairbagforthefrontpas-
sengerisintheinstrumentpanel>fig.228.The
generallocationoftheairbagsismarked“AIR-
BAG”.
Thereisalotyouneedtoknowabouttheairbags
inyourvehicle.Weurgeyoutoreadthedetailed
informationaboutairbags,safetybeltsandchild
safetyinthisandtheotherchaptersthatmake
uptheowner'sliterature.Pleasebesuretoheed
theWARNINGS-theyareextremelyimportant
foryoursafetyandthesafety ofyourpassengers,
especiallyinfantsandsmallchildren.
Z\WARNING
Neverrelyonairbagsaloneforprotection.
—Evenwhentheydeploy,airbags provideonly
supplementalprotection.
—Airbagworkmosteffectivelywhenused
withproperlywornsafetybelts.
—Therefore,alwayswearyoursafetybeltsand
makesurethateverybodyinyourvehicleis
properlyrestrained.
—Alwaysholdthesteeringwheelwithboth
handsontheoutsideofthesteeringwheel
rimatthe9:00o'clockand3:00o'clockpo-
sitionstohelpreducetheriskofpersonalin-
juryifthedriver'sairbaginflates.>
265

Airbagsystem
—Neverholdthesteeringwheelatthe12
o'clockpositionorwithyourhandsany-
whereinsidethesteeringwheeloronthe
steeringwheelhub.Holding thesteering
wheelthewrongwayincreasestheriskof
severeinjurytothearms,hands,andheadif
thedriverairbagdeploys.
ZA\WARNING
Objectsbetweenyouandtheairbagwillin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinacrashbyinterfer-
ingwiththewaytheairbagunfoldsand/orby
beingpushedintoyouastheairbaginflates.
—Alwaysmakesurenothingisinthefrontair-
bagdeploymentzonethatcouldbestruck
by theairbagwhenitinflates.
—Objectsinthezoneofadeployingairbagcan
become
projectileswhentheairbagdeploys
andcauseseriouspersonalinjury.
—Neverhold thingsinyourhandsoronyour
lapwhenthevehicleisinuse.
—Neverplaceaccessoriesorotherobjects
(suchascupholders,telephonebrackets,
notepads,navigationsystems,orthings
thatarelarge,heavy,orbulky)onthedoors;
neverattachthemtothedoorsorthewind-
shield;neverplacethemoverornearorat-
tachthemtotheareamarked,,AIRBAG“on
thesteeringwheel,instrumentpanelorthe
seatbackrests;neverplacethembetween
theseareasandyouoranyotherpersonin
thevehicle.
—Neverattachobjectstothewindshield
abovethepassengerfrontairbag,suchas
accessoryGPSnavigationunitsormusic
players.Suchobjectscouldcauseseriousin-
juryinacollision,especiallywhentheair-
bagsinflate.
—Neverreclinethefrontpassengerseatto
transport
objects.Itemscanalsomoveinto
thedeploymentareaofthesideairbagsor
thefrontairbagduringbreakingorinasud-
denmaneuver.Objectsneartheairbagscan
flydangerouslythroughthepassengercom-
partmentandcauseinjury,particularly
whentheseatisreclinedandtheairbagsin-
flate.
266
ZAWARNING
Apersononthefrontpassengerseat,espe-
ciallyinfantsandsmallchildren,willreceive
seriousinjuriesandcanevenbekilledbybe-
ingtooclosetotheairbagwhenitinflates.
—AlthoughtheAdvancedAirbagSystemin
yourvehicleisdesignedtoturnoffthefront
passengerairbagifaninfantorasmallchild
isonthefrontpassengerseat,nobodycan
absolutelyguaranteethatdeploymentun-
derthesespecialconditionsisimpossiblein
allconceivablesituationsthatmayhappen
during theusefullife ofyourvehicle.
— TheAdvancedAirbagSystemcandeployin
accordancewiththe,,lowrisk“optionfor3-
and6-year-oldchildrenundertheU.S.Fed-
eralStandardifachildwithelectricalcapac-
itancegreaterthanthecombinedcapaci-
tanceofatypicalone-yearoldinfantre-
strainedinoneoftheforwardfacing orrear-
ward-facingchildseatswithwhichyourve-
hiclewascertifiedisonthefrontpassenger
seatandtheotherconditionsforairbagde-
ploymentaremet.
—Accidentstatisticshaveshownthatchildren
aregenerallysaferintherearseatareathan
inthefrontseatingposition.
—Fortheirownsafety,allchildren,especially
12yearsandyounger,shouldalwaysridein
thebackproperlyrestrainedfortheirage
andsize.
Advancedfrontairbagsystem
YourvehicleisequippedwithafrontAdvanced
AirbagSystemincompliancewithUnitedStates
FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard(FMVSS)
208,aswellasCanadaMotorVehicleSafety
Standard(CMVSS)208asapplicableatthetime
yourvehiclewasmanufactured.
ThefrontAdvancedAirbagSystemsupplements
thesafetybeltstoprovideadditional protection
forthedriver'sandfrontpassenger'sheadsand
upperbodiesinfrontalcrashes.Theairbagsin-
flateonlyinfrontalimpactswhenthevehiclede-
celerationishighenough.>

Airbagsystem
frontseatpassenger'sfrontalAdvancedAirbag.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light:
—willcomeonifthefrontpassengerseatisnot
occupied;
—willcomeoniftheelectricalcapacitancemeas-
uredby thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsys-
temforthefrontpassengerseatequalsthe
combinedcapacitanceofaninfantuptoabout
oneyearofageandoneoftherearward-facing
orforward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFed-
eralMotorVehicleSafetyStandard208with
whichtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehi-
cle wascertified;Foralistingofthechildre-
straintsthatwereusedtocertifyyourvehicle's
compliancewiththeU.S.SafetyStandard
=>page287.
—willgooutifthefrontpassengerseatisoccu-
piedbyanadultasregisteredbythecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystem.
—ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#¥;lightmust
comeonandstayoniftheignitionisonand...
—a-carbedhasbeeninstalledonthefront pas-
sengerseat,or
—arearward-facingchildrestrainthasbeenin-
stalledonthefrontpassengerseat,or
—aforward-facingchildrestrainthasbeeninstal-
ledonthefrontpassengerseat,
—andiftheelectricalcapacitanceregisteredon
thefrontpassengerseatisequaltoorlessthan
thecombinedcapacitanceofatypical1year-
old infantandoneoftherearward-facingor
forward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFederal
MotorVehicleSafetyStandard208withwhich
theAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehiclewas
certified.
Ifthefrontpassengerseatisnotoccupied,the
frontairbagwillnotdeploy,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF3;lightwillstayon.
Neverinstallarearward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,thesafest placefora
child
inanykind ofchildrestraintisatoneofthe
seatingpositionsontherearseat>page262,
Childrestraintsonthefrontseat-someimpor-
tantthingstoknowand>page285,Childsafe-
ty.
274
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;light
comeson...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightcomes
onwhenoneoftheconditionslistedaboveis
met, besuretocheckthelightregularlytomake
certainthatthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;
lightstaysoncontinuouslywhenevertheignition
ison.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotappearonanddoesnotstayonallthe
time,stopassoonasitissafe todosoand
—reactivatethesystembyturningtheignitionoff
formorethan4secondsandthenturningiton
again;
—removeandreinstallthechildrestraint.Make
surethatthechildrestraintisproperlyinstalled
andthatthesafetybeltforthefrontpassenger
seathasbeencorrectlyroutedthroughthe
childrestraintasdescribedinthechildrestraint
manufacturer'sinstructions;
—makesurethattheconvertiblelockingretractor
onthesafetybeltforthefrontpassengerseat
hasbeenactivatedandthatthesafetybelthas
beenpulledtight.
—makesurethatnoelectricaldevice(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchildseats)is
placedorusedonthefrontpassengerseatif
thedeviceisconnectedtothe12-voltsocketor
thecigarettelightersocket;
—makesurethatnoseatheater hasbeenretrofit-
tedorotherwiseaddedtothefrontpassenger
seat;
—makesurethatnothingcaninterferewiththe
safetybeltbucklesandthattheyarenotob-
structed;
—makesurethattherearenowetobjects(such
asawettowel)andnowaterorotherliquidson
thefrontpassengerseatcushion.
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF&,lightstill
doesnotcomeon...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;lightstill
doesnotcomeonanddoesnotstayoncontinu-
ously(whentheignitionisswitchedon),
—takethechildrestraintoffthefrontpassenger
seatandinstallitproperlyatoneoftherear>

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
>

8W0012721BG
Childsafety
Convertiblechildsafetyseats
Properlyusedconvertiblechildsafetyseatscan
helpprotecttoddlersandchildrenoverage one
whoweighbetween20and40lbs.(9and18kg)
inacrash.
8
=
all+a
Fig.239Schematicoverview:installationoftheattach-
mentsapplicabletoaLATCHseat
g
=
4
a
Fig.240Schematicoverview:installationoftheseatusing
thevehicle'ssafetybeltsystem
>Whenusingthevehiclesafetybelttoinstalla
childsafetyseat,youmustfirstactivatethe
convertiblelockingretractoronthesafetybelt
topreventthechildsafetyseatfrommoving
=>page296orinstalltheseatusingtheLATCH
attachments.
>Pushthechildsafetyseatdownwithyourfull
weighttoget thesafetybeltreallytightso that
theseatcannotmoveforwardorsidewaysmore
thanoneinch(2.5cm)>page296.
>Ifthechildsafetyseatisequippedwithatether
strap,attachittothetetheranchors
=>page302.
>Secureunusedsafetybeltsontherearseat
>page291.
Atoddlerorchildisusuallytoolargeforanin-
fantrestraintifitismorethanoneyearoldand
weighsmorethan20lbs.(9kg).
Toddlersandchildrenwhoareolderthanone
yearuptoabout4yearsoldandweighmorethan
20lbs.(9kg)upto40lbs.(18kg)mustalways
beproperlyrestrainedinachildsafetyseatcerti-
fiedfortheirsizeandweight>fig.239and
©fig.240.
Theairbagonthepassengersidemakesthefront
seatapotentiallydangerousplaceforachildto
ride.Thefrontseatisnotthesafestplacefora
childinaforward-facingchildsafetyseat. Itis a
verydangerousplaceforaninfantoralarger
childinarearward-facingseat.
ZA\WARNING
Notusingachildsafetyseat,usingthewrong
childsafetyseatorimproperlyinstallinga
child
restraintincreasestheriskofserious
personalinjuryanddeathinacollisionoroth-
eremergencysituation.
—Childrenonthefrontseat ofanycar,even
withAdvancedAirbags,canbeseriouslyin-
juredorevenkilledwhenanairbaginflates.
Achildinarearward-facingchildsafetyseat
installedonthefrontpassengerseatwillbe
seriouslyinjuredandcanbekilledifthe
frontairbaginflates -evenwithanAd-
vancedAirbagSystem.
—Theinflatingairbagwillhitthechildsafety
seatorinfantcarrierwithgreatforceand
willsmashthechildsafetyseatandchild
againstthebackrest,center armrest,door
orroof.
—Alwaysinstallrear-facingchildsafetyseats
ontherearseat.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearwardfacingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstancesandthe
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnot
comeonandstayon,immediatelyinstall
therear-facingchildsafetyseatinarear
seatingpositionandhavetheairbagsystem
inspectedbyyourAudidealer.
—Therearsideofthechildsafetyseatshould
bepositionedas closeaspossibletothe
backrestonthevehicleseat.Adjustorre-
movetherearseatheadrestraintifitisdif-
ficulttoinstallthechildseatwiththehead
restraintinplace>page60.Installthe
293

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