Audi A7 2017 Owner's Manual page 184

Child safety
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft.
9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig. 169 Rear seat: ch ild proper ly restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4 ft . 9 in. (57 in-
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster sea t s raise these child ren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly
over
the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
• Do not use t he convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
• The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen-
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pelv is and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight-
en if necessary .
• If you must transport an older child in a boos-
te r seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c>page 178.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de-
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
182
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these childr en in appro-
priate booste r seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos-
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under m ust
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) ta ll can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regard less of how big the
child is. Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the
ve-
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child's safety absolutely requ ires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu-
pant moves forward into the airbag.
A ve hicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury.
In order for the a irbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be-
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
restra ined and as far away from the a irbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's .,..