2004 Lexus GS 300 Owners Manual - Page 130

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS CHILD RESTRAINT Child restraint precautions Lexus strongly urges the use of appropriate child restraint systems for children. The laws of all 50 states in the U.S.A. and Canada now require the use of a child restraint system. Your vehicle conforms to SAE J1819. If a child is too large for a child restraint system, the child should sit in the rear seat and must be restrained using the vehicle's seat belt. See "Seat belts" on page 82 for details. D Never put a rear-facing child restraint system on the front passenger seat. In the event of an accident, the force of the rapid inflation of the front passenger airbag can cause death or serious injury to the child if the rear-facing child restraint system is put on the front passenger seat. D A forward-facing child restraint system should be allowed to be put on the front passenger seat only when it is unavoidable. Always move the seat as far back as possible, because the front passenger airbag could inflate with considerable speed and force. Otherwise, the child may be killed or seriously injured. D Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child restraint system on the front or rear passenger seat. If installing a child restraint system with the seat belt extender connected to the seat belt, the seat belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, which could cause death or serious injury to the child or other passengers in the event of collision. D Do not allow the child to lean his/her head or any part of his/her body against the door or the area of the seat, front pillar or roof side rail from which the side airbags or curtain shield airbags deploy even if the child is seated in a child restraint system. It is dangerous if the side airbag and curtain shield airbag inflate, because the impact could cause death or serious injury to the child. CAUTION D For effective protection in automobile accidents and sudden stops, a child must be properly restrained, using a seat belt or child restraint system depending on age and size of the child. Holding a child in your arms is not a substitute for a child restraint system. In an accident, the child can be crushed against the windshield, or between you and the vehicle's interior if you are unrestrained. D Lexus strongly urges use of a proper child restraint system which conforms to the size of the child, installed on the rear seat. According to accident statistics, the child is safer when properly restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat. 110