belt BUICK LESABRE 1993 User Guide

Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
B
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it
properly.
1.
2.
Close and lock the door.
Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
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3.
4.
Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
Push the latch plate
into the buckle until it clicks.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button
on the buckle faces
upward or outward
so you would be able to unbuckle
it quickly if you ever had to. The
lap part
of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching
the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to
the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less
likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These
parts
of the body are best able to take belt restraining
forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or crash.
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Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
You can move the shoulder belt adjuster to the height
that is right for you.
1
I - --'
/" -
.. ,
To move it up or down, squeeze the release handle.
When you release the handle, try
to move it down a little
to make sure it has locked into position.
You can move the adjuster up from a lower position by
pushing the bottom
of the release handle.
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L)
For a person of averape height: Use a position
somewhere
in the middle.
Adjust the height
so that the shoulder portion of the belt
is properly positioned
on your shoulder, away from your
face and neck.
To help you find a height that is right for you, follow
these guidelines:
For a tall person: Use the upper
or upper-middle
position.
For a short person: Use the lower or lower-middle
position.
&: What’s wrong with this?
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A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
@ What’s wrong with this?
1
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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1 A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash,
the belt would
go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest
you.
&.' What's wrong with this?
3
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.

/11 CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm.
In a crash, your
body would move
too far forward, which would
increase the chance
of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren’t as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
I
What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn't have the full width of the
belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make
it straight so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix
it.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle,
The belt should go back out of the way.
1
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way.
If you slam the door on it, you can damage both
the belt and your vehicle.
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Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
System/Supplemental Restraint System (Air
Bag)
This section explains the driver’s Supplemental
Inflatable Restraint (SIR)/Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) system, commonly referred to
as an air
bag. Here are the most important things to
know:
Even with an aSr bag, if you’re not wearing a
safety belt and you’re [in a crash, your injuries
may be much worse.
Air bags are not designed
to inflate in rollovers or in rear, side or low-speed
I frontal crashes. You need to wear your safety
belt to reduce the chance of hitting
things inside
the vehicle or being ejected from it. Always wear I
your safety belt, even with an air bag. ,I 1
I .,I.
I A CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air
bag, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position for an air bag inflation
in a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with an air bag, and sit as far back as you can
while
still maintaining control of your vehicle.
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows “INFL REST” or “INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT.” The system checks itself and the light
tells you
if there is a problem.
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threshold level. When impacting straight into a wall that
does
not move or deform, the threshold level for most
GM vehicles is between 9 and 14 mph. However, this
velocity threshold depends
on the vehicle design and
may be several miles-per-hour faster or slower.
In
addition, this threshold velocity will be considerably
higher if the vehicle strikes an object such as a parked
car which will move and deform on impact. The air bag
is also not designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts,
or rear impacts where the inflation would provide
no
occupant protection benefit.
In any particular crash, the determination of whether the
air bag should have inflated cannot be based solely
on
the level of damage on the vehicle(s). Inflation is
determined by the angle of the impact and the vehicle’s
deceleration,
of which vehicle damage is only one
indication. Repair cost is not a good indicator of
whether an air bag should have deployed.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, sensors
strategically located on the vehicle detect that the
vehicle is suddenly stopping as a result of
a crash. These
sensors complete an electrical circuit, triggering a
chemical reaction of the sodium azide sealed in the
inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which
inflates the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and related hardware
are all part
of the air bag inflator module
packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not
provide protection in many types
of collisions, including
rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags
should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to
severe frontal and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly
deflate. This occurs
so quickly that some people may
not even realize that the air bag inflated. The air bag will
not impede the driver’s vision or ability to steer the
vehicle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting the
vehicle. There will be small amounts
of smoke coming
from vents in the deflated air bag. Some components
of
the air bag module in the steering wheel hub may be hot
for a short time, but the portion
of the bag that comes
into contact with you will
not be hot to the touch. The
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