2003 Subaru Forester Owner's Manual - Page 27

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags Front seats Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags " Never adjust the seat while driving to avoid the possibility of loss of vehicle control and of personal injury. " Before adjusting the seat, make sure the hands and feet of rear seat passengers are clear of the adjusting mechanism. " Seatbelts provide maximum restraint when the occupant sits well back and upright in the seat. To reduce the risk of sliding under the seatbelt in a collision, the front seatbacks should be always used in the upright position while the vehicle is running. If the front seatbacks are not used in the upright position in a collision, the risk of sliding under the lap belt and of the lap belt sliding up over the abdomen will increase, and both can result in serious internal injury or death. HS1034BA Put children aged 12 and under in the rear seat properly restrained at all times. The SRS airbag deploys with considerable speed and force and can injure or even kill children, especially if they are 12 years of age and under and are not restrained or improperly restrained. Because children are lighter and weaker than adults, their risk of being injured from deployment is greater. For that reason, we strongly recommend that ALL children (including those in child seats and those that have outgrown child restraint devices) sit in the REAR seat properly 1-2