Seat Belt Precautions - Toyota RAV4 1997 Owner's Manual

Seat belts-

-Seat belt precautions

Toyota strongly urges that the driver and
passengers in the vehicle be properly re-
strained at all times with the seat belts
provided. Failure to do so could increase
the chance of injury and/or the severity of
injury in accidents.
Child. Use a child restraint system ap-
propriate for the child until the child be-
comes large enough to properly wear the
vehicle's seat belts. See "Child restraint"
for details.
If a child is too large for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the rear seat
and must be restrained using the vehicle's
seat belt. According to accident statistics,
the child is safer when properly restrained
in the rear seat than in the front seat.
If a child must sit in the front seat, the seat
belts should be worn properly. If an acci-
dent occurs and seat belts are not worn
properly, the force of the rapid inflation of
the airbag may cause serious injury to the
child.
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Do not allow the child to stand up or kneel
on either rear or front seats. An unre-
strained child could suffer serious injury
during emergency braking or a collision.
Also, do not let the child sit on your lap. It
does not provide sufficient restraint.
If the shoulder belt falls across the child's
neck or face:
2-door models-
Have the child sit slightly closer to the cen-
ter of the vehicle so that the belt lays
across the shoulder.
4-door models-
Move the child to the center position and
use the center lap belt.
Pregnant woman. Toyota recommends
the use of a seat belt. Ask your doctor for
specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips and not on the
waist.
Injured person. Toyota recommends the
use of a seat belt. Depending on the injury,
first check with your doctor for specific
recommendations.
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CAUTION
!
Persons should ride in their seats
properly wearing in their seat belts
whenever the vehicle is moving.
Otherwise, they are much more likely
to suffer serious bodily injury in the
event of sudden braking or a colli-
sion.
When using the seat belts, observe
the following:
D Use the belt for only one person at
a time. Do not use a single belt for
two or more people-even children.
D Avoid reclining the seatbacks too
much. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection when the seat-
backs are in the upright position.
(Refer to the seat adjustment in-
structions.)
D Be careful not to damage the belt
webbing or hardware. Take care
that they do not get caught or
pinched in the seat or side doors.