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34
Label on radiator support in the engine compartment
Safety Restraints for Children
In the U.S. and Canada, you are required by law
to use safety restraints for children. If small
children ride in your vehicle — this generally
includes children who are four years old or
younger and who weigh 40 pounds (18 kg) or
less — you must put them in safety seats that
are made specially for children. Safety belts
alone do not provide maximum protection for
these children. Check your local and state laws
for specific requirements.
R
WARNING
Never let a passenger hold a child on his
or her lap while the vehicle is moving.
The passenger cannot protect the child
from injury in a collision.
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R
WARNING
Passengers should not be allowed to ride
in the cargo area. Persons not riding in a
seat with a fastened seat belt are much
more likely to suffer serious injury in a
collision. Cargo should always be secured
to prevent it from shifting and causing
damage to the vehicle or harm to
passengers.
R
WARNING
Carefully follow all of the manufacturer’s
instructions included with the safety seat
you put in your vehicle. If you do not
install and use the safety seat properly,
the child may be injured in a sudden stop
or collision.
When possible, put children in the rear seat of
your vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions.
R
WARNING
Safety belts and seats can become hot in a
vehicle that has been closed up in sunny
weather; they could burn a small child.
Check seat covers and buckles before you
place a child anywhere near them.
R
WARNING
Never leave a child unattended in your
vehicle.
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Safety Belts for Children
Children who are too large for child safety seats
should always wear safety belts. (See instructions
with your child seat, or contact its manufacturer,
to determine maximum size of child that will
safely fit in the seat.)
R
WARNING
If safety belts are not properly worn and
adjusted as described, the risk of serious
injury to the child in a collision will be
much greater.
If the shoulder belt portion of one of the lap and
shoulder belts can be positioned so that it does
not cross or rest in front of the child’s face or
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder
belt. Moving the child closer to the center of the
vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
R
WARNING
If the shoulder belt cannot be properly
positioned, move the child to one of the
seats with a lap belt only (preferably in a
rear seat) and use the lap belt.
Lap belts and the lap belt portion of lap and
shoulder belts should always be worn snugly
and below the hips, touching the child’s thighs.
R
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury in a
collision, children should always ride with
the seatback upright.
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Safety Seats for Children
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the
size and weight of the child. Always follow the
safety seat manufacturer’s instructions when
installing and using the safety seat.
Ford recommends the use of a child safety seat
having a top tether strap. Install the child safety
seat in a seating position which is capable of
providing a tether anchorage. For more
information on top tether straps see
Attaching
Safety Seats With Tether Straps
in this chapter.
When installing a child safety seat, be sure to
use the correct safety belt buckle for that seating
position making sure the tongue is securely
fastened in the buckle and for a shoulder/lap
belt combination with a sliding tongue make
sure the retractor is in the “automatic locking
mode.”
All child restraint systems are designed to be
secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or by the
lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
R
WARNING
If you do not properly secure the safety
seat, the child occupying the seat may be
injured during a collision or sudden stop.
An unsecured safety seat could also injure
other passengers.
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