Installing Child-Restraint Systems

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

NOTE Even if your vehicle is equipped with front passenger seat weight sensors , which automatically deactivates the front passenger air bag, a rear seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.

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 seat.

Some child-restraint systems also employ specially designed LATCH attachments; refer to "Using LATCH Lower Anchor" .

WARNING 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 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 benefi t of being tethered.

Place tether equipped child-restraint systems where there are tether