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Never hold a small child on your
lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in crash, you could be thrown
forward and crush the child
against the dashboard. If you are
wearing a seat belt, the child can
be torn from your arms and be
seriously hurt or killed.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child. During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
Never let two children use the
same seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle. Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, a small child left in a
vehicle on a hot day can die from
heatstroke. A child left alone with
the key in the ignition can
accidentally set the vehicle in
motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others.
Lock both doors and the trunk
when your vehicle is not in use.
Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside the
trunk. Teach your children not to
play in or around vehicles. Know
how to operate the emergency
trunk opener and decide if your
children should be shown how to
use this feature (see page
).
Keep vehicle keys and remote
transmitters out of the reach of
children. Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the trunk, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.
59
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
General Guidelines
25
