88 SEATS AND RESTRAINTSWarning (Continued)restrained by the shoulder belt. Thechild could move too far forwardincreasing the chance of head andneck injury. The child might alsoslide under the lap belt. The beltforce would then be applied righton the abdomen. That could causeserious or fatal injuries. Theshoulder belt should go over theshoulder and across the chest.Infants and Young ChildrenEveryone in a vehicle needsprotection! This includes infants andall other children. Neither the distancetraveled nor the age and size of thetraveler changes the need, foreveryone, to use safety restraints. Infact, the law in every state in theUnited States and in every Canadianprovince says children up to some agemust be restrained while in a vehicle.{ WarningChildren can be seriously injured orstrangled if a shoulder belt iswrapped around their neck. Theshoulder belt can tighten butcannot be loosened if it is locked.The shoulder belt locks when it ispulled all the way out of theretractor. It unlocks when theshoulder belt is allowed to go allthe way back into the retractor, butit cannot do this if it is wrappedaround a child’s neck. If theshoulder belt is locked and(Continued)Warning (Continued)tightened around a child’s neck, theonly way to loosen the belt is tocut it.Never leave children unattended ina vehicle and never allow childrento play with the seat belts.Every time infants and young childrenride in vehicles, they should have theprotection provided by appropriatechild restraints. Neither the vehicle'sseat belt system nor its airbag systemis designed for them.Children who are not restrainedproperly can strike other people,or can be thrown out of the vehicle.{ WarningNever hold an infant or a childwhile riding in a vehicle. Due tocrash forces, an infant or a childwill become so heavy it is notpossible to hold it during a crash.(Continued)
