2011 Nissan Altima Owner's Manual - Page 40

CHILD SAFETY ● If dirt builds up in the shoulder belt guide of the seat belt anchors, the seat belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoulder belt guide with a clean, dry cloth. ● Periodically check to see that the seat belt and the metal components, such as buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible wires and anchors, work properly. If loose parts, deterioration, cuts or other damage on the webbing is found, the entire seat belt assembly should be replaced. Children need adults to help protect them. They need to be properly restrained. In addition to the general information in this manual, child safety information is available from many other sources, including doctors, teachers, government traffic safety offices, and community organizations. Every child is different, so be sure to learn the best way to transport your child. There are three basic types of child restraint systems: ● Rear-facing child restraint ● Forward-facing child restraint ● Booster seat The proper restraint depends on the child's size. Generally, infants up to about 1 year and less than 20 lbs (9 kg) should be placed in rear-facing child restraints. Forward-facing child restraints are available for children who outgrow rearfacing child restraints and are at least 1 year old. Booster seats are used to help position a vehicle lap/shoulder belt on a child who can no longer use a forward-facing child restraint. WARNING Infants and children need special protection. The vehicle's seat belts may not fit them properly. The shoulder belt may come too close to the face or neck. The lap belt may not fit over their small hip bones. In an accident, an improperly fitting seat belt could cause serious or fatal injury. Always use appropriate child restraints. All U.S. states and Canadian provinces or territories require the use of approved child restraints for infants and small children. See "Child restraints" later in this section. A child restraint may be secured in the vehicle by using either the LATCH (Lower Anchor and Tethers for CHildren) system or with the vehicle seat belt. See the "Child restraints" section for more information. NISSAN recommends that all pre-teens and children be restrained in the rear seat. Studies show that children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seat than in the front seat. Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system 1-21