Transporting Children Safely - BMW 3 SERIES Owner's Manual

Transporting children safely

Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and
optional equipment that is offered in the model
range is described. As a result, some equip-
ment described may not be available in a partic-
ular vehicle, for example due to the options or
national-market version selected. This also
applies to safety related functions and systems.
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening
the doors, for example.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seat.
Children under the age of 13 or smaller
than 5 ft/150 cm may be transported only
in the rear in suitable child restraint systems
appropriate for their age, weight and size. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must be buck-
led in with a safety belt as soon as there no
longer is any child restraint system that is
appropriate for their age, size and weight.
Children in the front passenger seat
Should it be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger must be deactivated. Otherwise, a child
traveling on that seat will face a significant risk
of injury if the airbags are triggered off, even
with a child restraint
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 609 312 - © 08/11 BMW AG
system.<
Transporting children safely
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags refer to
page 100.
Convertible: key switch for
passenger belt
The passenger safety belt can be locked with a
key switch so that it is prevented from being
pulled out.
The key switch is situated on the side surface of
the passenger-side dashboard.
Locking the passenger belt
Lock the passenger belt to install a child
restraint system.
Insert key and push in.
Keep key pushed in and turn it until reaching the
stop at the
After removing the key, make sure that
the switch is in the
wise, the locking action on the safety belt is not
guaranteed.<
Unlocking the passenger belt
If no child restraint system is fastened to the
front passenger seat, unlock the passenger
belt; otherwise, the freedom of movement of
the upper body is limited.
Insert key and push in.
Controls
position. Pull key out at this stop.
position; other-
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