2003 Chevrolet Express Van Owner's Manual - Page 47

Cargo Vans with a Passenger Air Bag and without an Air Bag Off Switch is weak and its head weighs so much compared with the rest of its body. Ina crash, an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be distributed across the strongest part an of infant's body, the back and shoulders. Infants always should be restrained in appropriate infant restraints. However, infants, who should be restrained in a rear-facing child restraint, cannot ride safely in this vehicle. Children who are up against, or very close to, an air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder belts offer outstanding protection for adults and older children, but not for young children and infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system nor its air bag system is designed for them. Young children and infants need the protection that a child restraint system can provide. Newborn infants need complete support, including support for thehead and neck. This is necessary because a newborn infant's neck CAUTION: (Continued) The body structure of a young child is ite unlike that of an adult or older child, whom for^ the safety belts are designed. A young child's hip bones are still so small that the vehicle's regular safety belt may not remain low on the hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle CAUTION: (Continued) 1-40