Children & Airbags Information
Children & Air Bags
What's the Problem?
- Most new cars have air bags for front seat passengers.
When used with lap/shoulder belts, air bags work very well to
protect older children and adults who ride facing the front of
the car.
- Air bags do not work with rear facing seats
(those used with infants).
- Air bags could seriously injure or even kill
an unbuckled child or adult who is sitting too close
to the air bag or who is thrown toward the dash during emergency
braking.
- Even older children (who have outgrown car seats)
are at risk from a deploying air bag, if they are not properly
restrained with a lap/shoulder belt.
What Should I do?
- The rear seat is the safest place
for children of any age to ride.
- An infant in a rear-facing child
seat must ride in the back seat if your vehicle has a passenger
side air-bag (babies under 1 year and 20 lbs. should always ride
in a rear-facing seat).
- Make sure that everyone in the front seat is
properly buckled up and seated as far back from
the air bags as is reasonably possible.
- Make sure that all young children are properly
secured in a child safety seat and older children by a lap/shoulder
belt. Know how to properly install your child seat in the vehicle.
Read both the owners manual for the vehicle and the instructions
for your child safety seat.
Where can I get more information?
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