child restraint Ram 3500 Chassis Cab 2016 User Guide

In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties,
such as law enforcement, that have the special equip-
ment, 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 pros-
ecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years or younger should ride properly
buckled 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. 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
children 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.
82 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

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 www.seatcheck.org
or call 1–866–732–8243.
•Canadian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s
website for additional information: www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-index-53.htm
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 reachedthe height or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convertible
Child Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years old or who have out-grown the heightor weight limit of their rear-facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with a
five-point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 83

Child Size, Height, Weight Or Age Recommended Type Of Child Restraint
Larger Children Children who have out-grown their forward-facing child restraint, but aretoo small to properly fit the vehicle’s seat belt Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the ve-
hicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the vehicle
Children Too Large for Child Restraints Children 12 years old or younger, who
have out-grown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear seat of
the vehicle
Infants And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing
in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they
reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing
child restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used
rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle.
It is recommended for children from birth until they
reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier. Convertible child seats can be used either rear-facing or
forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats
often have a higher weight limit in the rear-facing
direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used
rear-facing by children who have outgrown their infant
carrier but are still less than at least two years old.
Children should remain rear-facing until they reach the
highest weight or height allowed by their convertible
child seat.
84 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
WARNING!
Do not install a rear-facing car seat using a rear support
leg in this vehicle. The floor of this vehicle is not
designed to manage the crash forces of this type of car
seat. In a crash, the support leg may not function as it
was designed by the car seat manufacturer, and your
child may be more severely injured as a result.2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 85

Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts
fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent over
the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is against
the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning booster
seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat are held
in the vehicle by the seat belt.WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an infant or
child restraint. It could come loose in a collision. The
child could be badly injured or killed. Follow the child
restraint manufacturer ’s directions exactly when in-
stalling an infant or child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do
not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward
because it can loosen the child restraint attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjusting
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it
loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident, it
could strike the occupants or seatbacks and cause
serious personal injury.
86 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Recommendations For Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type CombinedWeight of the
Child + Child Restraint Use any attachment method shown with an “X” Below
LATCH –
Lower Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH –
Lower Anchors+ Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt + Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
Forward-Facing Child Restraint Up to 65 lbs
(29.5 kg) XX
Forward-Facing Child Restraint More than
65 lbs (29.5 kg) X
88 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
(LATCH) Restraint SystemYour vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchor-
age system called LATCH, which stands for Lower
Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. The LATCH system
has three vehicle anchor points for installing LATCH-
equipped child seats. There are two lower anchorages
located at the back of the seat cushion where it meets the
seatback and one top tether anchorage located behind the
seating position. These anchorages are used to install
LATCH-equipped child seats without using the vehicle’s
seat belts. Some seating positions may have a top tether
anchorage but no lower anchorages. In these seating
positions, the seat belt must be used with the top tether
anchorage to install the child restraint. Please see the
following table for more information.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89

LATCH Positions For Installing Child Restraints In
This Vehicle
Regular Cab
•Lower Anchorage Symbol – 2 anchorages per
seating position
•Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
Crew Cab Split Bench
•Lower Anchorage Symbol - 2 anchorages per
seating position
•Top Tether Anchorage Symbol
90 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
What is the weight limit (child’s weight + weight of the child re-
straint) for using the LATCH an-
chorage system to attach the child restraint? 65 lbs (29.5 kg)
Use the LATCH anchorage system
until the combined weight of the child and the child restraint is
65 lbs (29.5 kg). Use the seat belt and tether anchor instead of the
LATCH system once the combined weight is more than 65 lbs (29.5 kg).
Can the LATCH anchorages and the seat belt be used together to attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint? No
Do not use the seat belt when you
use the LATCH anchorage systemto attach a rear-facing or forward- facing child restraint.
Can a child seat be installed in the center position using the innerLATCH lower anchorages? No
Full bench rear seat only: Use the
seat belt and tether anchor to in-
stall a child seat in the center seat- ing position.
92 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Frequently Asked Questions About Installing Child Restraints With LATCH
Can two child restraints be at- tached using a common lower LATCH anchorage? No Never “share” a LATCH anchorage
with two or more child restraints.
If the center position does not have dedicated LATCH lower anchor-
ages, use the seat belt to install a child seat in the center position next to a child seat using the
LATCH anchorages in an outboard position.
Can the rear-facing child restraint
touch the back of the front passen- ger seat? Yes
The child seat may touch the back
of the front passenger seat if the
child restraint manufacturer also
allows contact. See your child re- straint owner ’s manual for more information.
Can the head restraints be re- moved? No
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