2002 Lexus ES 300 Owners Manual - Page 145

COMFORT ADJUSTMENT CHILD RESTRAINT Child restraint precautions Lexus strongly urges the use of child restraint systems for children small enough to use them. 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 106 for details. D Never install a rear−facing child restraint system on the front seat. In the event of an accident, the force of the rapid inflation of the airbag can cause death or serious injury if a rear−facing child restraint system is installed on the front seat. D Unless it is unavoidable, do not install a forward−facing child restraint system on the front seat. D A forward−facing child restraint system should be allowed to be installed on the front passenger seat only when it is unavoidable. Always move the seat as far back as possible, because the force of the deploying front passenger airbag could cause death or serious injury to the child. D Make sure you have complied with all installation instructions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and that the system is properly secured. On vehicles with side airbags and curtain shield airbags, do not allow the child to lean over the front door or around the front door 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. 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. 131