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When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions that come with the restraint which may be on the restraint itself or in a booklet,
or both, and to this manual. The child restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy from the
manufacturer.
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 the vehicle — even when no child is
in it.
In some areas of the United States
and Canada, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) are
available to inspect and demonstrate how to correctly use and install child restraints. In the U.S., refer to the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website to locate the nearest child safety seat
inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial Ministry of Transportation office.
Securing the Child Within the Child Restraint
{ Warning
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the instructions that
came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in an appropriate child restraint secured in a rear
seating position.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in a rear seating position.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the front. This is because the risk
to the rear-facing child is so great if the airbag deploys.
{ Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the front passenger airbag
inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag.
A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the front passenger airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
passenger frontal airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in the front seat,
always move the front passenger
(Continued)