•
How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
•
How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understanding of
the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a non-
trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and no per-
sonal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location)
are recorded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the type
of personally identifying data routinely acquired during
a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is
needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other
parties, such as law enforcement, that have the special
equipment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
CHILD RESTRAINTS
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times, including babies and children. Every state in the
United States, and every Canadian province, requires
that small children ride in proper restraint systems. This
is the law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years or younger should ride properly buck-
led up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats rather than in the front.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child can become a
projectile inside the vehicle. The force required to
hold even an infant on your lap could become so
great that you could not hold the child, no matter how
strong you are. The child and others could be badly
injured or killed. Any child riding in your vehicle
should be in a proper restraint for the child’s size.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for chil-
dren from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Always check the child
seat Owner’s Manual to make sure you have the correct
seat for your child. Carefully read and follow all the
instructions and warnings in the child restraint Owner’s
Manual and on all the labels attached to the child
restraint.
Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. You should also make sure that you can
install it in the vehicle where you will use it.
NOTE:
•
For additional information, refer to http://
www.nhtsa.gov/parents-and-caregivers or call:
1–888–327–4236
•
Canadian residents should refer to Transport Cana-
da’s website for additional information:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/en/services/road/
child-car-seat-safety.html
Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age
Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Infants and Toddlers
Children who are two years old or younger and who have
not reached the height or weight limits of their child
restraint
Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible Child Restraint,
facing rearward in a rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children
Children who are at least two years old or who have out-
grown the height or weight limit of their rear-facing child
restraint
Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a five-point Harness,
facing forward in a rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children
Children who have outgrown their forward-facing child
restraint, but are too small to properly fit the vehicle’s
seat belt
Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the vehicle seat belt,
seated in a rear seat of the vehicle
144
SAFETY
