seat belt SATURN VUE 2008 User Guide

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the
booster seat state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder
belt until the child passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees
bend at the seat edge? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder
belt rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue.
If no, try using the rear safety belt comfort guide.
See “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-27for more
information. If the shoulder belt still does not rest
on the shoulder, then return to the booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and snug on the
hips, touching the thighs? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be maintained for
the length of the trip? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the booster seat.
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Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt
and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross
the face or neck. The lap belt should t snugly
below the hips, just touching the top of the thighs.
This applies belt force to the child’s pelvic bones
in a crash. It should never be worn over the
abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-27.
According to accident statistics, children and infants
are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt cannot properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. In a crash, the child would
not be restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child might slide under the lap belt.
The belt force would then be applied right on
the abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The child could also move too
far forward increasing the chance of head
and neck injury. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest.
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{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child’s
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety belt may not remain low on the
hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle
up around the child’s abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a body area
that is unprotected by any bony structure.
This alone could cause serious or fatal injuries.
Young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infant
seat (A) provides
restraint with the
seating surface
against the back
of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing child
seat (B) provides
restraint for the child’s
body with the harness.
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A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out
the window.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint
in the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in
a crash if the child restraint is not properly
secured in the vehicle. Make sure the child
restraint is properly installed in the vehicle
using the vehicle’s safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came
with that restraint, and also the instructions
in this manual.
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To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or
the lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the
LATCH system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43for more information.
A child can be endangered in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in the vehicle.
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 your vehicle — even when
no child is in it.Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint. Because there are different
systems, it is important to refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint. Make
sure the child is properly secured, following
the instructions that came with that restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children and child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a child
riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in
a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in
a booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
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Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint during driving
or in a crash. This system is designed to make installation
of a child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint
is properly installed using the anchors, or use the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint, following
the instructions that came with that restraint, and also
the instructions in this manual. When installing a child
restraint with a top tether, you must also use either
the lower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure
the child restraint. A child restraint must never be
installed using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle,
you need a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.
The child restraint manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child restraint and its
attachments. The following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars built into the vehicle.
There are two lower anchors for each LATCH seating
position that will accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (B).
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{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled
if a shoulder belt is wrapped around their
neck and the safety belt continues to tighten.
Secure any unused safety belts behind the
child restraint so children cannot reach them.
Pull the shoulder belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock, if your vehicle has
one, after the child restraint has been installed.
Be sure to follow the instructions of the child
restraint manufacturer.
Notice:Contact between the child restraint LATCH
attachment parts and the vehicle’s safety belt
assembly may cause damage to these parts. Make
sure when securing unused safety belts behind
the child restraint that there is no contact between
the child restraint LATCH attachment parts and
the vehicle’s safety belt assembly.Folding an empty rear seat with the safety belts
secured may cause damage to the safety belt or the
seat. When removing the child restraint, always
remember to return the safety belts to their normal,
stowed position before folding the rear seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the
lower anchors. If the child restraint does not have
lower attachments or the desired seating position
does not have lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and the safety belts.
Refer to your child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired
seating position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments
on the child restraint to the lower anchors.
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If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
raise the headrest or head
restraint and route the
tether under the headrest
or head restraint and in
between the headrest or
head restraint posts.
3. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with your child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-43for how and where to install your
child restraint using LATCH. If you secure a child
restraint using a safety belt and it uses a top tether,
seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-43for top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child restraint in a position without a
top tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top strap must
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH
system, you will be using the safety belt to secure
the child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow
the instructions that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint when and as
the instructions say.
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If you need to install more than one child restraint in the
rear seat, be sure to readWhere to Put the Restraint
on page 1-41.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if necessary.4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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