Essential Safety Equipment; Child Restraint; Restraint System Installation- Page 48

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Essential Safety Equipment

Child Restraint

Form No. 8R21-EA-02G

Accident statistics reveal that a child is 
safer in the rear seats. The front 
passenger’s seat is clearly the worst 
choice for any child under 12, and with 
rear-facing child-restraint systems it is 
clearly unsafe due to air bags.

Some child-restraint systems now come 
with tethers and therefore must be 
installed on the seats that take tethers to 
be effective. In your Mazda, tethered 
child-restraint systems can only be 
accommodated in the three positions on 
the rear seats.

Some child-restraint systems also employ 
specially designed LATCH attachments; 
refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint 
Systems" (page 2-47).

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Second-Row Seats Child-
Restraint System Installation

Follow these instructions when using a 
child-restraint system, unless you are 
attaching a LATCH-equipped child-
restraint system to the rear LATCH lower 
anchors. Refer to "LATCH Child-
Restraint Systems" (page 2-47).

1. If the seat in which you install a child-

restraint system has a seat slide 
function, slide the seat as far back as 
possible.

2. Secure the child-restraint system with 

the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt. 
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing 
instructions.

Installing Child-Restraint 
Systems

Tethered Child-Restraint Systems 
Work Only on Tether-Equipped Rear 
Seats:
Installation of a tether equipped 
child-restraint system in the front 
passenger’s seat or the third-row 
outboard seats defeats the safety 
design of the system and will result in 
an increased chance of serious injury 
if the child-restraint system goes 
forward without benefit of being 
tethered.
Place tether equipped child-restraint 
systems where there are tether 
anchors.

WARNING

NOTE

Follow the child-restraint system 
manufacturer’s instructions carefully. 
If you are not sure whether you have a 
LATCH system or tether, check in the 
child-restraint system manufacturer’s 
instructions and follow them 
accordingly. Depending on the type of 
child-restraint system, it may not 
employ seat belts which are in 
automatic locking mode.

J16L_8R21-EA-02G.book  Page 40  Saturday, June 8, 2002  11:16 AM