337
Knowing your vehicle
Restraint of pregnant women
Pregnant women should wear lap/shoul-
der belt assemblies whenever possible
according to specific recommendations
by their doctors. The lap portion of the
belt should be worn AS SNUGLY AND
LOW AS POSSIBLE.
Restraint of infants and small
children
To increase their safety, infants and
young children should always be
restrained by a restraint system
approved for their age and size.
Never allow a child to stand or kneel on
the seat of a moving vehicle. Never allow
a safety belt to be placed around both a
child and an adult or around two children
at the same time.
It is best for children to be seated in the
rear seats.
Many companies manufacture child
restraint systems (often called child
seats) for infants and small children. An
acceptable child restraint system must
always satisfy Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards and your applicable
state laws. Make sure that any child-
restraint system you use in your vehicle
is labelled as complying with Federal
Safety Standards.
The child-restraint system should be
chosen to fit both the size of the child and
the size of the vehicle seat. Be sure to fol-
low any instructions provided by the
child-restraint system manufacturer
when installing the child-restraint system.
WARNING - Pregnant
women
Pregnant women must never place
the lap portion of the safety belt
over the area of the abdomen where
the fetus is located or above the
abdomen where the belt could
crush the fetus during an impact.
WARNING - Children on
laps
Never hold a child on your lap or in
your arms in a moving vehicle.
Even a very strong person cannot
hold onto a child in the event of
even a minor collision.
WARNING - Hot metal
parts
Safety belts and seats can become
hot in a vehicle that has been
closed during warm/hot weather;
they could burn a child. Check seat
covers and buckles before you
place a child anywhere near them.
