Child Safety - Volvo C70 Owner's Manual

01 Safety

Child safety

01
Children should be seated safely
Volvo recommends the proper use of
restraint systems for all occupants including
children. Remember that, regardless of age
and size, a child should always be properly
restrained in a car.
Your car is also equipped with ISOFIX/
LATCH attachments, which make it more
convenient to install child seats.
Some restraint systems for children are
designed to be secured in the vehicle by lap
belts or the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
Such child restraint systems can help protect
children in cars in the event of an accident
only if they are used properly. However, chil-
dren could be endangered in a crash if the
child restraints are not properly secured in
the vehicle. Failure to follow the installation
instructions for your child restraint can result
in your child striking the vehicle's interior in a
sudden stop.
Holding a child in your arms is NOT a suitable
substitute for a child restraint system. In an
accident, a child held in a person's arms can
be crushed between the vehicle's interior
and an unrestrained person. The child could
also be injured by striking the interior, or by
being ejected from the vehicle during a sud-
den maneuver or impact. The same can also
30
happen if the infant or child rides unre-
strained on the seat. Other occupants should
also be properly restrained to help reduce the
chance of injuring or increasing the injury of a
child.
All states and provinces have legislation gov-
erning how and where children should be
carried in a car. Find out the regulations
existing in your state or province. Recent
accident statistics have shown that children
are safer in rear seating positions than front
seating positions when properly restrained. A
child restraint system can help protect a child
in a vehicle. Here's what to look for when
selecting a child restraint system:
• It should have a label certifying that it
meets applicable Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards (FMVSS 213) - or in
Canada, CMVSS 213.
• Make sure the child restraint system is
approved for the child's height, weight
and development - the label required by
the standard or regulation, or instructions
for infant restraints, typically provide this
information.
• In using any child restraint system, we
urge you to carefully look over the instruc-
tions that are provided with the restraint.
Be sure you understand them and can use
the device properly and safely in this vehi-
cle. A misused child restraint system can
result in increased injuries for both the
infant or child and other occupants in the
vehicle.
When a child has outgrown the child safety
seat, you should use the rear seat with the
standard seat belt fastened. The best way to
help protect the child here is to place the
child on a cushion so that the seat belt is
properly located on the hips (see the illustra-
tion on page 39). Legislation in your state or
province may mandate the use of a child seat
or cushion in combination with the seat belt,
depending on the child's age and/or size.
Please check local regulations.
A specially designed and tested booster
cushion (not available in Canada) can be
obtained from your Volvo retailer for children
weighing 33 - 80 lb. (15 - 36 kg) and 38-54
inches (97 - 137 cm) in height.