Safety features of your vehicle
2 3
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout
this section, and throughout this man-
ual. The safety precautions in this sec-
tion are among the most important.
Always wear your seat belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of accidents. Air bags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with air
bags, ALWAYS make sure you and
your passengers wear your seat
belts, and wear them properly.
Restrain all children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in
a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants
and small children should be
restrained in an appropriate child
restraint. Larger children should use
a booster seat with the lap/shoulder
belt until they can use the seat belt
properly without a booster seat.
Air bag hazards
While air bags can save lives, they
can also cause serious or fatal
injuries to occupants who sit too
close to them, or who are not prop-
erly restrained. Infants, young chil-
dren, and shorter adults are at the
greatest risk of being injured by an
inflating air bag. Follow all instruc-
tions and warnings in this manual.
Driver distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious
and potentially deadly danger, espe-
cially for inexperienced drivers.
Safety should be the first concern
when behind the wheel and drivers
need to be aware of the wide array of
potential distractions, such as drowsi-
ness, reaching for objects, eating,
personal grooming, other passen-
gers, and using cellular phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel
to focus on activities other than driv-
ing. To reduce your risk of distraction
or getting into an accident:
• ALWAYS set up your mobile
devices (i.e., MP3 players, phones,
navigation units, etc.) when your
vehicle is parked or safely stopped.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
357
Safety features of your vehicle
OJFA035109
- Never lean on the door or cen-
ter console.
- Never sit on one side of the
front passenger seat.
OJFA035101
- Do not use car seat acces-
sories such as thick blankets
and cushions which cover up
the car seat surface. (Continued)
OJFA035102
- Do not place electronic
devices such as laptops, DVD
player, or conductive materi-
als such as water bottles on
the passenger seat.
- Do not use electronic devices
such as laptops and satellite
radios which use inverter
chargers.
