07/09/12 09:14:26 32SAA650_028
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
Additional Precautions to Parents
Never hold an infant or child on
your lap. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward into the
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
According to crash statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are properly
restrained in the back seat, not the
front seat.
dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
child can be torn from your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicle at 48 km/h (30 mph), a
9 kg (20-lb) infant will become a
275 kg (600-lb) force, and you will
not be able to hold on.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, infants and
children should always be properly
restrained whenever they ride in a
vehicle.
Any child who is too small to wear a
seat belt should be properly
restrained in a child restraint system
(see page 31).
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and an infant or child.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries.
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt, and use a
booster, if needed (see pages 55 and
57 ).
25
Driver and Passenger Safety
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