seats AUDI Q3 2015 Owner's Guide

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vehicle speed, etc. c> page 131, How side cur ­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal s afety func tion, safe­
t y belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety be lt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
is another reason why you shou ld always wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re­
qu ires you to do so
c> page 104, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to he lp
reduce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
i n ju ries, for example, swell ing, b ruising, and
minor abras ions can also be associated w ith
these airbags . Remember too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds
of accidents - yo ur safety belts are a lways
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sis ts of:
- The electronic contro l mod ule and externa l
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtai n airbags above t he front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation
features
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The a irbag system is monitored ele ct ron ic all y
to make certain it is functioning properly at a ll
times. Eac h time you turn on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if th e ign it io n is turned off,
- i n s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measure d by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end co llisions.
A irba g sy stem 131
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection w hen occupants
are in th e proper seating position
c> page 51, Front seats .
- If the airbag indicator light c> page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspe cted immediately
by your authori zed A udi dealer .
It is pos­
sib le t hat the airbag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained .
Fig. 124 Illust rat io n of p rinciple: I nfla ted s ide cur tai n
a irbags on the left s ide
T he side c urta in airbags inflate be twee n the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
<=> fig. 124 .
When the system is t rigge red, the side curta in
a irbag is filled with propellant gas and b reaks
th ro ugh a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp provide this additional protection,
the side curta in a irbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great fo rce . The side curta in a irbag could in­
jur e you if your sea ting pos it io n is not prope r
o r uprig ht or if items are located in t he a rea
whe re the supplemen tal side curta in a irbag
infla tes . This applies espe cially to ch ildren
<=> page 133. II--

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Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 105, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­ ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury .
Child restra ints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in ­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your chi ld's size ~
page 136, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about ch ild safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work when infants and children in child re-
Child Sa fet y 133
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­
ing children on the front passenger seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small chi ldren .
.A, WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil ­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­ der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str ikin g the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An un re ­
strained or improper ly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal­
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an a irbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
•
•

134 Child Safety
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on th e
driver side. The low ris k deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interact ion with the airbag t hat can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system , all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat .
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush ­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the .,..

136 Child Safety
Model Manufactured on or
after
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Vi- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C - Forward-facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1,
1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007 Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco Comfo rtSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on. -
Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immed iate­
ly.
@ Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially chil­
dren:
.. Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c::;,page 139.
.. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat .
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 143 .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
.,. If a strap or tether is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat , make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::;, page 13 8.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always ride in the back seat proper-
ly restrained for their age and size . .,.

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A WARNING 1-=
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil­ dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be
injured by striking the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained child is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213) .
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the seat cushion . The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side . Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­ facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under S7 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
Child Safety 137
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­ ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child. Al­
ways install forward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well-being require that the
following special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­ turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always
move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas­
senger seat's fore and aft adjustment
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child restraint.
.___ ____________ _J ...
•
•

138 Child Safet y
-Always make sure that nothing pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop o r in a collis ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used .:;,
page 104, Safety
belts, .:;,page 112, Airbag system
and
~ page 133, Child Safety.
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PA SSENGER AI R BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate­
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
Fig . 125 Schematic overview: keep un used safety belts
away from children in child sa fety seats. ®· outer rear
safety belt,
@ -center rear safety belt
.
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially w ith LATCH universal lower ancho- rages, the unused safety belts
mu
st be se­
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them .:;,
&..
-Guide the safety belt webbings @and @
behind the head rest raint of the seat where
the child restraint is installed
<::;,fig . 125.
When doing so, do not engage the converti­
ble locking retractor! You shou ld not hear a
"clicking" sound when winding up the safety
belt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
_& WARNING
=
A child in a child safety seat installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or with the
standa rd safety be lt or a child in a booster
seat on the rea r seat co uld p lay with un­
used rear seat safety belts and become en ­
tang led . This cou ld cause the chi ld serious
personal injury and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat sa fety
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly routing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the child restraint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety be lts
around the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear
seating position if the center rear safety
be lt has been routed around a rear head
restraint.

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Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward -fac ­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
Fig . 126 Sche mati c overv iew: rearward-fac ing infa nt
seat, p roperly installed o n th e rear seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a ch ild safety seat , you must first activate
the convertible locking retracto r on the
safety be lt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
r=;, page 143 or install the seat
using the LA T CH attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm) .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 138.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infan t carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in spec ial re­
straints in which the ch ild faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a crash
¢ fig . 126.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a po tentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward -facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
l arger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
Child S afety 139
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using t he
wrong child safety seat or improperly in ­
stall ing a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs on the front pas­
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air ­
bag Sys tem. A c hild will be ser iously in­
jured and ca n be killed when the inflat ­
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof
r=;, page 114, Child restraints on the
front seat- some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rear-fac ing ch ild restraint
in the forward-fac ing d irect ion. Such re­
straints are designed for the special needs of infants and very small ch ild ren
and can not prote ct them properly if the
seat is forward- facing.
- If you mus t insta ll a rearward fa cing
child sa fety seat on the fro nt passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear -fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea ler .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
r=;, page 104 , Safety
belts, ,=;,page 112, Airbag system
and
r=;, page 133, Important things to know.

140 Child Safety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig. 127 Schematic overv iew : ins tallat ion of t he at­
ta chments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 128 Schematic overview: insta llation of th e seat
us ing t he veh icle's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
c:> page 143 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c:>page 143.
.. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c:> page 149.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:> page 138.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) . Toddlers and
children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
c:> fig . 12 7 and c:> fig . 128 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward -facing child safe­
ty seat . It is a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
_&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improp erly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation .
- Children on the front seat of any car,
-
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­ bag inflates . A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in­
f la tes -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible ..,.

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to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad­
just or remove the rear seat head restraint if i t is difficult to install the
child seat w ith the head restraint in place
¢ page 52. Install the head restraint
again immed iate ly once the child seat is
removed. Driving without head restraints
o r with head restraints that are not prop­
erly adjusted increases the risk of serious
or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave ­
hicle is being used
¢page 104, Safety
belts,
¢ page 112, Airbag system and
¢ page 133, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If except ional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safe­
ty and well-being require that the follow­
ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a passenge r fron t and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
st ruct ions provided with the child safety
sea t or infan t carrier.
- Always move the front passenge r seat in­
to the rearmost posit ion of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft ad justment r ange,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before instal ling the child restraint.
- Always make sure that noth ing prevents
the front passenger's seat from bei ng
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position.
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks¢
page 123, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
Child S afety 141
-Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OF F
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall.
In .... N 0 ±
~
F ig . 1 29 Rear seat: ch ild properly res trained in a boos­
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 me ters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs . (36 kg) . Booster seats rais e these chi l­
dren up so tha t the safety belt w ill pass p rop­
erly over the stronger parts of the ir bodies
and the safety be lt can he lp protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the convert ible lo cki ng ret ra ctor
when using the ve hicl e's s afety be lt to re­
s train a ch ild on a booster seat.
... The shoulde r belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomac h or abdomen .
Make su re the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
th e belt to tighten if necessary.
.,. If you must transport an o lde r ch ild i n a
booster seat on t he front passenger sea t,
you can use the safety be lt height adjust ­
ment to help ad just the shou lder portion
prope rly.

142 Child Saf ety
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
9 page 138 .
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40
l bs. or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safe ­
ty seats designed for their age and weight. Ex­ perts say that the ske leta l structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these chi ldren is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts w ithout a su itable child restraint .
It is us ually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition bot h the lap and shou lder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child 's body in the right places. The
routing of the belt over the child 's body is very
important for the ch ild's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Ch ildren who are at least 4
ft . 9 in. (S7 in­
ches/1.4S meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three po int lap and shoulder be lts .
Neve r use the lap belt portion of the veh icle's
safety be lt alone to restrain any child, regard­
l ess of how b ig the child is. Always remembe r
that c hildren do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's thre e point
lap and shoulder be lts. The child's safety ab ­
solutely requires that a lap be lt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis . Never let the lap
be lt po rtion of the safety belt pass over the
chi ld's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with cons iderable force . In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so t hat it will be there to p rotect the occupant
as the occupant moves forw ard into the air­
bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an
i n flat ing airb ag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she wi ll be struc k violen tly and will
receive se rious or possib ly even fatal in ­
jury .
In orde r fo r the ai rb ag to offer protect ion, i t is
i mportan t that a ll vehicle occupants, espe cial­
ly any children, who m ust be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances , be
proper ly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the child 's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com ­
pletely and prov ide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
.&, WARNING
Not using a booste r seat, using the boos ­
ter seat improperly, in co rrectly installing a
boos ter seat or using the vehicle sa fety
belt imp roperly increases the risk of seri­
ous persona l injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situat ion. To he lp re­
d uce the risk of serio us personal injury
and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possi­
b le and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body . It must neve r lie across the
throat or neck . The lap belt must lie
across the pe lvis and neve r ac ross t he
s tomach o r abdomen. Make sure t he belt
liesflat and snug.Pullon thebelt to
tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly ro ute s afe ty belts
over a child's body wi ll ca use seve re inj u­
ries in an accident o r other emergency
situation
¢ page 104 .
-The rear side o f the child sa fety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad­
just or remove the rear seat head re­ straint if it is diffic ult to install the ch ild
seat with the head restraint in p lace
c::> page 52 . Install t he head rest raint
aga in immediately once the ch ild seat is
removed . D riving without head restraints
or w ith head restra ints th at ar e not prop­
erly a djusted increases the risk of serious
.
or fatal neck in jury drama tically . ""