CADILLAC ESCALADE 2007 3.G Workshop Manual

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not wear
safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder
belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding, throughout the
pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it
is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt
in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone,
the key to making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on
page 43.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except
for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion
of the belt out all the way, you will engage the
child restraint locking feature which may turn off
the passenger’s frontal airbag. If this happens, just
let the belt go back all the way and start again.
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Center Front Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone
can sit in the center position.
When you sit in the center front seating position,
you have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and
pull it along the belt.To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as
shown until the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as
the lap part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt is
not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 59.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to
buckle up! Accident statistics show that unbelted
people in the rear seat are hurt more often in
crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted
can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And
they can strike others in the vehicle who are
wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seat positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here is how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across
you. Do not let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let
the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull
the belt across you more slowly.
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2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it
clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure.When the shoulder belt is pulled out all
the way, it will lock. If it does, let it go back
all the way and start again.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 59.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder part.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 would 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.
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The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a
crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of
the retractor.
{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
t against your body.
To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
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Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide
added safety belt comfort for older children
who have outgrown booster seats and for some
adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the
comfort guide positions the belt away from
the neck and head.There is one guide for each outside passenger
position in the second row seat and the third row,
if your vehicle has one. Here is how to install a
comfort guide and use the safety belt:
1. For the second row, remove the guide from its
storage clip on the interior body.
Second Row
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If your vehicle has a third row, remove the
guide from its storage pocket on the side of
the seat.2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The
elastic cord must be under the belt. Then,
place the guide over the belt, and insert the
two edges of the belt into the slots of the
guide.
Third Row
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3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies
at. The elastic cord must be under the belt
and the guide on top.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn
may not provide the protection needed in
a crash. The person wearing the belt
could be seriously injured. 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.
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4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt
as described inRear Seat Passengers on
page 53. Make sure that the shoulder
belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze
the belt edges together so that you can take
them out of the guides. Slide the guide into its
storage pocket.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are located on the retractor
part of the safety belts. They help the safety
belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a
moderate to severe frontal, near frontal, rear
or side crash, or a rollover.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate
in a crash, you will need to get new ones,
and probably other new parts for your safety belt
system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 109.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer
will order you an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. To
help avoid personal injury, do not let someone else
use it, and use it only for the seat it is made to
t. The extender has been designed for adults.
Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it,
just attach it to the regular safety belt. For
more information see the instruction sheet that
comes with the extender.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a seat
that has a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional
restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety
belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional
restraint a shoulder belt can provide. The
shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below
the hips, just touching the top of the thighs.
It should never be worn over the abdomen,
which could cause severe or even fatal internal
injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can
strike other people who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.
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