1999 Mercury Villager Owner's Manual - Page 136

Seating and safety restraints 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. Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or child restraint you might use. When possible, always place children under age 12 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 position. Children and safety belts If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat. Children who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your child safety seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts. Follow all the important safety restraint and air bag precautions that apply to adult passengers in your vehicle. If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can be positioned so 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. Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets unattended in your vehicle. To improve the fit of lap and shoulder belts on children who have outgrown child safety seats, Ford recommends use of a belt-positioning booster seat that is labelled as conforming to all Federal motor vehicle safety standards. Belt-positioning booster seats raise the child and provide a shorter, firmer seating cushion that encourages safer seating posture and better fit of lap and shoulder belts on the child. A belt-positioning booster should be used if the shoulder belt rests in front of the child's face or neck, or if the lap belt does not fit snugly on both thighs, or if the thighs are too short to let the child sit all the way back on the seat cushion when the lower legs hang over the edge of the seat cushion. You may wish to discuss the special needs of your child with your pediatrician. 136