Toyota 2001 Prius Owner's Manual page 136

—Child restraint system
A child restraint system for a small
child or baby must itself be properly
restrained on the seat with the lap por-
tion of the lap/shoulder belt. You must
carefully consult the manufacturer's in-
structions which accompany child re-
straint system.
To provide proper restraint, use a child
restraint system following the manufactur-
er's instructions about the appropriate age
and size of the child for the child restraint
system.
Install the child restraint system correctly
following the instructions provided by its
manufacturer. General directions are also
provided under the following instructions.
The child restraint system should
installed on the rear seat. According to
accident statistics, the child is safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.
62
CAUTION
D
Never put a rear–facing child re-
straint system on the front seat. In
the event of an accident, the force
of the rapid inflation of the airbag
can cause death or serious injury if
a rear–facing child restraint system
is put on the front seat.
D
Unless it is unavoidable, do not put
a child restraint system on the
front seat.
D
A forward–facing child
system should be allowed to put on
the front seat only when it is un-
avoidable. Always move the seat as
be
far back as possible, because the
force of the deploying airbag could
cause death or serious injury to the
child.
D
On vehicles with side airbag, do
not allow the child to lean against
the front door or around the front
door even if the child is seated in
the child restraint system. It is dan-
gerous if the side airbag inflates,
and the impact could cause death
or serious injury to the child.
D
After installing the child restraint
system, make sure it is secured in
place following the manufacturer's
instructions. If it is not restrained
securely, it may cause death or se-
rious injury to the child in the
event of a sudden stop or accident.
When not using the child restraint system,
keep it secured with the seat belt or place
it in the trunk or somewhere other than in
the passenger compartment. This will pre-
vent it from injuring passengers in the
restraint
event of a sudden stop or accident.
Your vehicle has anchor brackets for se-
curing the top strap of a child restraint
system.
For instructions about how to use the an-
chor bracket, see "—Using a top strap" on
page 72 in this section.