CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 1996 5.G Owner's Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine or the instrument panel . . . or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such
good sense.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q:
A:
&=
A:
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if
I’m wearing a safety belt?
You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with-
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle
up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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t
Q:
A:
If.1’m a good driver,, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety bdts?
You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident-- even one that isn’t your fault --- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect ybu from things beyond your ’
control, such as bad drivers.
I
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 lun) sf
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths OCCUT at spee.cls .of less than 40 mph
(65 W). . ,
,Safety belts are for everyone. I
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about safety
belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies.
If a child will be riding in your
Chevrolet, see the part
of this manual called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull
up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
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 is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. 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, or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine &= What’s wrong with this?
1 I i 1 1 I I I I I
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
A I
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I 1
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What’s wrong with this?
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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.
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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1
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be
worn over the shoulder at all times.
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.
x xu

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What's wrong with this?
'A I.
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
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.
Air Bag System
This part explains the air bag system.
Your Chevrolet has two air bags
-- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
, .
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have an
air bag. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from
it. The air
bag is only a “supplemental restraint.” That is,’it
works
with safety belts but doesn’t replace them.
Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front
of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at all in
rollover,
rear, side or low-speed frontal crashes.
Everyone in your vehicje, including the driver,
should wear
a safety belt properly -- whether or
not there’s an
air bag for that person.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A C” I:
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. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
An inflating air bag can seriously injure small
children. Always secure children properly in your
vehicle.
To read how, see the part of this manual
called “Children” and the caution label on the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
AIR BAG
There is an air bag readiness
light
on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG or the
air bag symbol.
~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The system checks the air bag’s electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you
if there is an electrical
problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light’’ in the Index
for more information.