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C _h _i _ l_ d _S _ a_ f_ e _ t y ~ --------------------------------------------
in.
WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a colli sion .
•
Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti vate the convertible
locking retract or for child restraints while the vehicle is moving .
You would not be restrained and could be seriously injured in an
accident.
•
Always read and heed all WARNINGS whene ver using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used =>
page
148. Special precau-
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page
128 , "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ". •
LATCH
Lower
anchorages
and
tethers
for children
Child Restraint
System
anchors
and how
are they
related
to child safety
To prov ide a simp ler a nd more practicable way to attach the child
restra int on the vehi cle seat, Federal regu lations req uire spec ial
lower anchorages in vehicles and devices on new chi ld restra ints to
attach to the veh icle ancho rages.
The combination of t he tether anchorages and th e lower an chorages
is now generally called the
LATCH
system for "Lower Anchorages and
Tethers fo r Child ren." In Canada, the t erms "top tet her" w it h "lowe r
universal anchorages" (or "lower un iversa l anchorage bars") are used
t o descr ibe t he system.
Forward-fac ing child rest raints manufactured
after September 1,
1999, are required by U.S. federa l reg ulations to comply with new
child head movement pe rforman ce req uirements. These new perfor-
mance requirements
make a tether necessary on most new chi ld
sea t s.
Insta lling a child restraint that requires a top tether w ithout one can
ser iously impair the per formance of t he chi ld res t rain t and its abilit y
to protect the ch ild in a collision. Installing a child restraint that
req uires a top tether without the top tether may be a violation of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers
offer LATCH lower anchorages on their
child se ats with hook-on or push-on connectors att ache d to adj ust-
able straps.
In addition to the LA TCH lowe r anchorages, these chi ld restraint
systems usually require the use of tethe r straps to help keep the chi ld
restraint firmly in place.
in.
WARNING
Improper installation of child restraint s will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
•
Alw ays follow the instru ction s provided by the manufa cturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle.
•
Never install a child restraint without a properly atta ched top
tether strap if the child restraint manufactu rer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
•
Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower anchorage point s
can lead to injury in a colli sion. The LATCH lower anchorage points
are designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly
fitted child restraints .
•
Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchorage point.
•
Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH
lower anchorages .
(I)
Tips
•
In Can ada, t he t erms "top te t her" with "lower univers al anchor-
ages" (or "lower universa l anchorage bars") a re used to describe the
system.
.,.
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