Child Safety - Volvo S60 Owner's Manual

02 Safety

Child safety

Children should always be seated safely when
traveling in the vehicle.
General information
02
Volvo recommends the proper use of restraint
systems (p. 47) for all occupants including
children. Remember that, regardless of age
and size, a child should always be properly
restrained in a vehicle.
Your vehicle is also equipped with ISOFIX/
LATCH attachments (p. 55), which make it
more convenient to install child seats.
Some restraint systems for children are
designed to be secured in the vehicle by lap
belts or the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
Such child restraint systems can help protect
children in vehicles in the event of an acci-
dent only if they are used properly. However,
children could be endangered in a crash if the
child restraints are not properly secured in the
vehicle. Failure to follow the installation
instructions for your child restraint can result
in your child striking the vehicle's interior in a
sudden stop.
Holding a child in your arms is NOT a suitable
substitute for a child restraint system. In an
accident, a child held in a person's arms can
be crushed between the vehicle's interior and
an unrestrained person. The child could also
be injured by striking the interior, or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. The same can also hap-
46
pen if the infant or child rides unrestrained on
the seat. Other occupants should also be
properly restrained to help reduce the chance
of injuring or increasing the injury of a child.
All states and provinces have legislation gov-
erning how and where children should be car-
ried in a vehicle. Find out the regulations
existing in your state or province. Recent
accident statistics have shown that children
are safer in rear seating positions than front
seating positions when properly restrained. A
child restraint system can help protect a child
in a vehicle. Here's what to look for when
selecting a child restraint system:
It should have a label certifying that it meets
applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS 213) – or in Canada,
CMVSS 213.
Make sure the child restraint system is
approved for the child's height, weight and
development – the label required by the
standard or regulation, or instructions for
infant restraints, typically provide this infor-
mation.
In using any child restraint system, we urge
you to carefully look over the instructions that
are provided with the restraint. Be sure you
understand them and can use the device
properly and safely in this vehicle. A misused
child restraint system can result in increased
injuries for both the infant or child and other
occupants in the vehicle.
When a child has outgrown the child safety
seat, you should use the rear seat with the
standard seat belt fastened. The best way to
help protect the child here is to place the
child on a cushion so that the seat belt is
properly located on the hips (see Booster
cushions (p. 54) for illustration). Legislation
in your state or province may mandate the
use of a child seat or cushion in combination
with the seat belt, depending on the child's
age and/or size. Please check local regula-
tions.
A specially designed and tested booster
cushion and backrest can be obtained from
your Volvo retailer.
USA: for children weighing 33 – 80 lbs. (15 –
36 kg) and 38 – 54 inches (97 – 137 cm) in
height
Canada: for children weighing 40 – 80 lbs.
(18 – 36 kg) and 40 – 54 inches (102 –
137 cm) in height