88 SEATS AND RESTRAINTS{ WarningNever allow a child to wear the seatbelt with the shoulder belt behindtheir back. A child can be seriouslyinjured by not wearing thelap-shoulder belt properly. In acrash, the child would not berestrained 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.{ WarningChildren can be seriously injured orstrangled if a shoulder belt iswrapped around their neck. Neverleave children unattended in avehicle and never allow children toplay 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.For example, in a crash at only40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)infant will suddenly become a110 kg (240 lb) force on a person'sarms. An infant or child should besecured in an appropriate restraint.
