Lexus GS300, User Manual

Page: 199 / 622

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
178
CHILD RESTRAINT
Child restraint precautions
Lexus strongly urges the use of appropriate child
restraint systems for children.
The laws of all 50 states in the U.S.A. and Canada now require
the use of a child restraint system.
Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819.
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. See ”Seat belts” on page 147 for details.
CAUTION
For effective protection in automobile accidents and
sudden stops, a child must be properly restrained,
using a seat belt or child restraint system depending
on age and size of the child. Holding a child in your
arms is not a substitute for a child restraint system.
In an accident, the child can be crushed against the
windshield, or between you and the vehicle’s interior.
Lexus strongly urges use of a proper child restraint
system which conforms to the size of the child,
installed on the rear seat. According to accident
statistics, the child is safer when properly restrained
in the rear seat than in the front seat.
Never install a rear−facing child restraint system on
the front passenger seat. In the event of an accident,
the force of the rapid inflation of the front passenger
airbag can cause death or serious injury to the child
if the rear−facing child restraint system is installed
on the front passenger seat.
A forward−facing child restraint system should be
allowed to be installed on the front passenger seat
only when it is unavoidable. Always move the seat
as far back as possible, because the front passenger
airbag could inflate with considerable speed and
force. Otherwise, the child may be killed or seriously
injured.
Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a
child restraint system on the front or rear passenger
seat. If installing a child restraint system with the
seat belt extender connected to the seat belt, the seat
belt will not securely hold the child restraint system,
which could cause death or serious injury to the child
or other passengers in the event of collision.
Do not allow the child to lean his/her head or any part
of his/her body against the door or the area of the
seat, front or rear pillar or roof side rail from which the
side airbags or curtain shield airbags deploy even if
the child is seated in a child restraint system. It is
dangerous if the side airbag and curtain shield airbag
inflate, and the impact could cause death or serious
injury to the child.