When it comes to child passenger safety, it is important to know where to locate information in your vehicle manual and in your child safety seat manual. Both provide important guidelines to ensure your child is restrained correctly. Often, your vehicle manual will be located in the glove compartment, but if you cannot locate it or it did not come with the car when you bought it, you can always look up the manual online by searching for vehicle model, vehicle year, and the vehicle manufacturer.
Once you locate your vehicle manual, look for the key words such as “child restraint” or “child passenger safety.” Your manual may not use specific words such as "car seat" but if you look for these other key words that can help you locate information about car seat installation. You will also want to read the information about the seat belts and where your air bags are located in the vehicle. Knowing where the seat belts and air bags are, can help you decide on the best location for your car seat. It is important to never place a rear-facing seat in front of an active air bag. When available, the back seat is always the safest place for children.
In addition to seat belt use, your vehicle manual will tell you how to use the LATCH system and if your car has the ability to install the car seat using the lower anchors. The manual will also tell you where to attach the tether strap. Tethers are an important safety feature of the car seat to use when the seat is forward-facing.
Overview of items to locate in the manual:
- Child passenger safety or child restraint information
- Location of air bags and seat belts
- Installation of different types of car seats
- Safety information about how long children should ride in the back seat
- LATCH system location and guidance
- Seat belt guidance for all passengers including expecting moms