|
Safety Features For Child Passengers is adapted from the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s,
Buying A Safer Car For Child Passengers, 2006, A
Guide For Parents.
Safety is one of the most important considerations when
buying a family vehicle. Manufacturers offer many safety
features you should look for to transport children safely.
These features cannot, however, replace the need to
monitor children when they are in and around motor
vehicles or the importance of seeing that children are
safely buckled up.
In fact, the most important action a parent or caregiver
can do to promote occupant protection for children is to
secure all children up to age 13 in an age and weight
appropriate child restraint or safety belt — in the
vehicle’s rear seat.
The safety features listed here will help you secure your
children safely in your vehicle and reduce their risk of
incurring crash-related injuries. Moreover, these features
can help protect children from other vehicle-related
dangers, such as those posed by certain types of power
window switches. For more information, visit
www.safercar.gov.
Manual Air Bag On-Off Switch
Vehicles with no rear seat, or a rear seat that is not
appropriate for a child safety seat, may have a switch
that lets the driver control the front-seat passenger air
bag. The switch has a warning light that must be clearly
visible to all front-seat passengers to let them know
when the air bag has been turned off. A rear-facing child
safety seat should NEVER be placed in the front seat of a
vehicle equipped with an active passenger air bag.
Infants and children can be seriously injured — or even
killed — if the air bag inflates. Refer to your owner’s
manual for information on the correct use of the air bag
On-Off switch.
There are circumstances where some people should not be
exposed to an inflating air bag. Some of these situations
involve child passengers who may be put at risk if an air
bag inflates.
If you can certify that you or someone else who uses your
vehicle would be at risk if the air bag inflates, you can
have an On-Off switch installed in your vehicle. Please
review the information below on air bag On-Off switches
to decide whether your driving situation fits one or more
risk profiles necessary to have an On-Off switch
installed by a dealer or repair facility.
People whose risk profiles justify having an On-Off air
bag switch installed include the following:
- People who must transport infants riding in
rear-facing infant seats in the front passenger seat.
- People who must transport children under 13 in the
front passenger seat.
- Drivers who cannot change their customary driving
positions to keep 10 inches between the center of the
steering wheel and the center of their breastbone.
- People whose doctors say that due to their medical
conditions the air bags pose a special risk that
outweighs the risk of hitting their heads, necks or
chests in a crash if the air bags are turned off.
To receive a brochure about retrofitting On-Off switches
or to obtain an Installation Request form:
- Visit the air bag section of NHTSA’s Web site,
www.safercar.gov/airbags.
Or
- Call the DOT Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236
(TDD 800-424-9153).
Given that On-Off switches are not
available for all vehicles, make sure a switch is
available for your vehicle before you request
authorization to have it installed.
Rear Center-Seat Lap And Shoulder Belts
All rear center seats must be equipped with at least a lap
belt. As an added feature, some manufacturers include lap
and shoulder belts in rear center seats. This benefits
older children and children in booster seats who often
ride in the rear center position. A Federal ruling
recently mandated that all new passenger vehicles must be
equipped with rear center-seat lap/shoulder belts by 2008.
Adjustable Upper Belts (Rear)
Because safety belts must fit people of various sizes,
including older children, some manufacturers offer an
adjustable upper belt that lets you change the position
of the shoulder strap to accommodate a person’s size. This
feature allows adjustment and may improve the shoulder
belt fit for the passenger. Check the manufacturer’s
instructions to correctly adjust the safety belts in your
vehicle.
Lower Anchors and Tethers For Children (LATCH)
LATCH is a relatively new system that makes child safety
seat installation easier — without using seat belts. How
does LATCH work? Anchors on a LATCH-equipped vehicle are
used to install a safety seat equipped with LATCH
fasteners. Most LATCH-equipped vehicles have anchors in
the right and left rear seat positions. If the center seat
does not have anchors, you can still install your child
safety seat using a safety belt. If your vehicle is not
LATCH-equipped, use the safety belt and, if available, a
top tether.
LATCH is required on child safety seats and vehicles
manufactured after September 1, 2002.
Push-Down, Pull-Up Window Switches
With a conventional rocker or toggle type window switch, a
child can accidentally lean or kneel on the switch and
cause the window to close, trapping hands, arms or other
body parts in the power window. However, Push-Down,
Pull-Up Switches help eliminate this safety risk by making
it virtually impossible to accidentally close power
windows. A Federal rule mandates that safer switches be
installed in all cars, vans, pickup trucks and sport
utility vehicles made for sale in the United States
on or after October 1, 2008.
Anti-Pinch/Auto Reversal Windows
Automatic reversal windows, sometimes called
“pinch protection,” “anti-entrapment,” or “bounce-back”
windows are designed to stop closing and reverse direction
if they sense anything, such as a child’s hands, arms or
head, in the way. There are several different types of
systems available. Check with your dealer about the
specific operation of anti-pinch/auto reversal windows.
| 
Auto
Insurance 
Auto Insurance