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166
Ch ild Saf e ty
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
q
page 135, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults thei r
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l-
oped, they require restra int 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 frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restra ints must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase
the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Consult the child safety seat manufactu rer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q
page 169, Important safe-
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed a ll of the im-
portant information and WARNINGS about
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the instal-
lation 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-
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be-
cause of the large amount of important infor-
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manua l 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 dur ing a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre-
strained or improperly restrained ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild 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 seriously in-
jured or even killed when an airbag in-
flates . A child in a rearward-facing
child
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 back rest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe-
ty seats on the rear seat.
IJi,,,
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