Pontiac 2002 Grand Am, Owner'S Manual

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Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors, therefore, recommends that child
restraints be secured in the rear seat including an infant
riding in a rear
-
facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward
-
facing child seat and an older child riding in a
booster seat. Never put a rear
-
facing child restraint in
the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
CAUTION:
A child in a rear
-
facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear
-
facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating air bag. Always secure
a rear
-
facing child restraint in a rear seat.
You may secure a forward
-
facing child restraint
in the right front seat, but before you do, always
move the front passenger seat as far back as it
will go. It’s better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any
child restraint in your vehicle
--
even when no
child is in it.
Top Strap
Some child restraints have a top strap, or “top tether.”
It can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored
to the vehicle. Some top strap
-
equipped child restraints
are designed for use with or without the top strap being
anchored. Others require the top strap always to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions
for your child restraint. If yours requires that the top
strap be anchored, don’t use the restraint unless it is
anchored properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one
can be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints.
Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.