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Child
Safety
Important
things
to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~
page 175, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenag ers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l-
oped, they require restraint systems especial-
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re-
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury .
Child restra ints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp-
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in-
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your chi ld's size ~
page
206,
Impor-
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about ch ild safety, Advanced Airbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad-
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re-
Child Sa f et y
203
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be-
cause of the large amount of important infor-
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad-
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport-
ing children on the front passenger seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in-
fants and small chi ldren .
.A,
WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that chil -
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un-
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil-
dren must be restrained properly when-
ever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the interior or by be-
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An un re -
strained or improper ly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal-
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A
WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in-
jured or even killed when an a irbag in-
flates. A child in a rearward-facing ch ild
safety seat installed on the front passen-
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
•
•
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