Safe Transport Of Children - Maserati Spyder Owner's Manual

Safe transport of children

For the best protection in the event of
a collision, all the vehicle's occupants
must travel seated and protected by all
the suitable restraining systems. The
seat belts are designed to be used by
persons whose physical characteristics
2
(age, height, weight) are provided for
by established legislation in each
country. Anyone who does not comply
with these provisions may not travel in
the passenger seat.
This also applies to children. Their
heads are proportionally heavier and
larger than those of adults, while their
bones and muscles are relatively
undeveloped. For children to be
restrained correctly in the event of a
collision, suitable restraining or safety
systems must be used.
24 Safe transport of children
Children must never travel
seated on a passenger's lap. A
child weighs very little until a
collision occurs! In a collision, a child
becomes so heavy it is impossible to
hold onto him or her. For example, in a
collision at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a
child weighing 12 lb. (5.5 kg) exerts a
force of 240 lb. (110 kg) against the
arms of the person holding him or her.
Children must always be protected by
a suitable restraining system when
travelling.
Children who are resting on
the airbag or are too close to it
when it is activated, may be
seriously injured. The airbags and
pretensioners offer suitable protection
for adults and teenagers, but not for
children and babies. Neither the seat
belts or the airbags are designed for
them. Children and babies must travel
in suitable restraining systems.
Babies must be supported
completely, including their
head and neck. This is
necessary because a baby's neck is
weak while the head is much bigger
and heavier in proportion to his/her
body. In a collision, if a baby is
travelling in a backwards-facing seat
the forces of an impact are distributed
throughout the more solid parts of the
body, i.e. the back and shoulders.
Babies must always be protected by a
suitable restraining system when
travelling.
A child traveling in a
backwards-facing seat could
be seriously injured by an
airbag being activated. This could
happen because the seat back of the
child's seat may be positioned
extremely close to the airbag at the
moment it is inflated.
Check that the airbag has
been deactivated before
positioning a backwards-
facing child's seat on the passenger
seat.