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1.1'1
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1.1'1
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LATCH
system
(Lower
anchorages
and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more pract icable way to
attach the child restraint o
n
the vehicle seat, Fed-
eral reg ulations requi re specia
l
lower ancho rages
in veh icles and devices on new child restraints
t
o
attach to the ve hicle anchorages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower a nchorages is now gene rally called the
LATCH
system for "Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
Forward -facing child res
tr
ain
t
s manufactured
af-
ter September
1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S. fed-
e ra
l
reg ulations to comply with new child head
movement per formance requirements
.
These
new performance
requirements
make a tether
necessary on most new chi ld seats.
Instal ling a chi ld restraint that requ ires a top
tether witho ut one can serio usly impair the per
-
formance of t he chi ld restraint and its ability to
protect the child in a coll is ion. Insta lling a child
restra int that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufact urers offe
r
LATCH lower
anchorages on their chi ld seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lowe
r
anchorages, these
chi ld restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restraint
firm ly in place.
Tether
anchorages
Your Audi Cabriolet is
not
equipped with a LATCH
system
.
It is
not
equipped with top tethe
r
ancho-
rages. It is equipped with lower anchorages on ly.
Your Cabriolet is equipped
wit
h the Active Roll-
over Protection System, wh
ich
is integrated into
the backrest of the rear seat. The Active Rollover
Protection System dep loys upwards to he lp pro-
vide addit ional protection in certa in collisions
Child
s
a
f
ety
and crash s ituations
.
For this reason, you
r
vehicle
is
not
equipped wit
h
top tether anchorages fo
r
use with forward -facing child restraints
.
In
Canada, prov inc ia
l
law req uires that forward-
facing child rest raints use both top tethe
r
ancho
-
rages and lower anchorages; therefore, it is
not
possible
to insta ll a forward -facing child restraint
in th is vehicle.
In the United State
s, child restraint installat ion
must conform with the chi
ld
restrai nt ma
nu
fac-
turer's instructions
.
Check the instruct ions that
come with the child restraint or contact the man-
ufacturer to determine if the child restra int may
be insta lled facing forward without securing the
top tether strap
.
A
WARNING
,..__
-
Imp roper installat ion of child restra ints w
ill
increase the
risk
of injury and death
in
a crash.
-
Always follow the instr uctions provided by
the ma
nu
factu rer of the child restraint you
inte nd to insta
ll
in you
r
vehicle.
-
Imp roper use of child rest raint LATC
H
lower
anc horage po ints can lead to injury
in
a colli-
sion. The
LATCH
lower anchor age point
s
a re
des igned to w ithstand only t hose loads im-
posed by co rrec
t
ly fitted child rest rain ts.
-
Never mo
unt
two
ch
ild restra
int
sys tems
on
one LATCH lower anchorage po int
.
-
Never secure or
at
tac
h a
ny lugg age or
ot
her
item to the LATCH lower anchorages
.
(D
Tips
In other cou nt ries, the term "ISO FIX" is used
t
o des cribe
t
he lower anchorages.
165
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