Child safety
General information
Volvo recommends the proper use of restraint systems for all occupants including children. Remember that, regardless of age and size, a child should always be properly restrained in a vehicle.
Your vehicle is also equipped with ISOFIX/LATCH attachments, which make it more convenient to install child seats.
Some restraint systems for children are designed to be secured in the vehicle by lap belts or the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt. Such child restraint systems can help protect children in vehicles in the event of an accident only if they are used properly. However, children could be endangered in a crash if the child restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle. Failure to follow the installation instructions for your child restraint can result in your child striking the vehicle's interior in a sudden stop.
Holding a child in your arms is NOT a suitable substitute for a child restraint system. In an accident, a child held in a person's arms can be crushed between the vehicle's interior and an unrestrained person. The child could also be injured by striking the interior, or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. The same can also happen if the infant or child rides unrestrained on the seat. Other occupants should also be properly restrained to help reduce the chance of injuring or increasing the injury of a child.
All states and provinces have legislation governing how and where children should be carried in a vehicle. Find out the regulations existing in your state or province. Recent accident statistics have shown that children are safer in rear seating positions than front seating positions when properly restrained. A child restraint system can help protect a child in a vehicle. Here's what to look for when selecting a child restraint system:
It should have a label certifying that it meets applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 213) - or in Canada, CMVSS 213.
Make sure the child restraint system is approved for the child's height, weight and development - the label required by the standard or regulation, or instructions for infant restraints, typically provide this information.
In using any child restraint system, we urge you to carefully look over the instructions that are provided with the restraint. Be sure you understand them and can use the device properly and safely in this vehicle. A misused child restraint system can result in increased injuries for both the infant or child and other occupants in the vehicle.
When a child has outgrown the child safety seat, you should use the rear seat with the standard seat belt fastened. The best way to help protect the child here is to place the child on a cushion so that the seat belt is properly located on the hips. Legislation in your state or province may mandate the use of a child seat or cushion in combination with the seat belt, depending on the child's age and/or size. Please check local regulations.
A specially designed and tested booster cushion and backrest can be obtained from your Volvo retailer. See also the article "Integrated booster cushion."
Warning
- Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the front passenger's seat. We also recommend that children under 140 cm (4 feet 7 inches) in height who have outgrown these devices sit in the rear seat with the seat belt fastened.
- Sedan models: Keep vehicle doors and trunk locked and keep remote controls out of a child's reach. Unsupervised children could lock themselves in an open trunk and risk injury. Children should be taught not to play in vehicles.
- On hot days, the temperature in the vehicle interior can rise very quickly. Exposure to these high temperatures for even a short period of time can cause heat-related injury or death. Small children are particularly at risk. Never leave children unattended in a vehicle.
Child seats should always be registered.
Volvo's recommendations
Why does Volvo believe that no child should sit in the front seat of a vehicle? It's quite simple really. A front airbag is a very powerful device designed, by law, to help protect an adult.
Because of the size of the airbag and its speed of inflation, a child should never be placed in the front seat, even if he or she is properly belted or strapped into a child safety seat. Volvo has been an innovator in the field of safety since it was founded. And we have no intention of resting on our laurels. But we need your help. Please remember to put your children in the back seat, and buckle them up.
Warning
A child restraint should never be reused if:
- The vehicle has been involved in a collision, no matter how minor
- Its history is unknown
- It is older than the manufacturer's expiration date
Volvo has some very specific recommendations
- Always wear your seat belt.
- Airbags are a SUPPLEMENTAL safety device which, when used with a three-point seat belt can help reduce serious injuries during certain types of accidents. Volvo recommends that you do not disconnect the airbag system in your vehicle.
- Volvo strongly recommends that everyone in the vehicle be properly restrained.
- Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults and children) shorter than 140 cm (4 feet 7 inches) be seated in the rear seat of any vehicle with a front passenger side airbag.
- Drive safely!