Transporting children safely – BMW 2004 Mini Convertible Cooper User Manual

Page 50

VEHICLE MEMORY

TRANSPORTING CHILDREN SAFELY

>Setting units for outside temperature

and fuel consumption display, refer to
page

>Setting units for display of temperatures

specified for automatic climate control
system, refer to page

>Volume control PDC, refer to page

>Acoustic alarm for starting PDC activa-

tion, refer to page

This symbol alerts you to Vehicle
Memory functions in the Owner's

Manual.

After memory functions have been
reconfigured, your vehicle may oper-

ate slightly differently from the descrip-
tions used in this Owner's Manual. If you
decide to sell your vehicle one day, please
remember to have the memory functions
reset to their default configuration.

The proper place for children

Children should always sit in the rear:

Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in a vehicle is in the rear
seat.

Older children should be tightly secured
with a safety belt, after they have out-
grown a booster seat that is appropriate for
their age, height and weight.

A child sitting in the rear seat and not
properly restrained may place his or

her head on or near the airbag, if so
equipped. For example, a child – even
though belted in – may fall asleep with his
or her head against the side airbag. It may
be difficult for a driver to ensure that chil-
dren in the rear seat will remain properly
positioned at all times and do not place
their heads on or near the side airbag.
Therefore, we recommend that the rear
side airbags, if provided, be deactivated if
you plan to transport children in the rear
seat.

Child-restraint system in the rear

Children under 13 years of age and
children less than 5 ft / 150 cm tall

should always ride in the rear and the

restraint systems should be secured with
the vehicle's safety belts.

Younger children should be secured in an
appropriate forward-facing child-restraint
system that has first been properly
restrained. We strongly urge you to care-
fully read and comply with the instructions
for installation and use provided by the
child-restraint's manufacturer whenever
you use such a device.

All rear seating positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE J1819,
an industry-recommended practice for
securing child-restraint systems in motor
vehicles.

Exception for the front passenger seat

Should it one day be necessary to use
a child-restraint system on the front

passenger seat, the airbags on the front
passenger side must be deactivated. Other-
wise, there is a significant risk of injury to
children if the airbags deploy, even if they
are seated in a child-restraint system. Have
the front passenger airbags permanently
deactivated only by your MINI Dealer or a
workshop that has specially trained per-
sonnel working in accordance with the
specifications of the MINI manufacturer.