−
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page
for important
information about protecting larger
children).
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in a
back seat. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children age 12 and under be
properly restrained in a back seat.
Some states have laws restricting
where children may ride.
Children who ride in the back are
less likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back.
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries.
Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system, which
can automatically turn the
passenger’s front airbag off (see
page
), please follow the
guidelines below.
If
the airbag inflates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
infant.
If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
49
27
CONTINUED
Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured
or killed by an inf lating passenger’s
f ront airbag.
Inf ants
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger’s f ront airbag.
Small Children
Larger Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger’s f ront airbag can
be hazardous.
All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
Protecting Children
General Guidelines
Dr
iv
er
and
P
asseng
er
Saf
e
ty
35
