GMC SIERRA 1996 Owner's Manual

&.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
home, why should I wear safety belts?
accident -- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect
you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone. 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.
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 vehicle, see the part of this manual called
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
1-13
ProCarManuals.com

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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. 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 a crash.
ProCarManuals.com

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that
is right for you.
To move it down, push in at the word PRESS and move
the height adjuster to the desired position. You can move
the adjuster up just by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide. After you move the adjuster
to where you want it,
try to move it down without pushing in to make sure it
has locked into position.
Adjust the height
so that the shoulder portion of the
belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be
away from
your face and neck, but not falling off
your shoulder.
1-15
ProCarManuals.com

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
!It is You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder be
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
1-16
ProCarManuals.com

&= What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
I A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured i
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
i buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
ProCarManuals.com

I I
A: The belt is over an armrest.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt goes
over an armrest like this. The belt would be much
too
high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt.
The belt force would then be applied at the
abdomen, not
at the pelvic bones, and that could
cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt
goes under the armrests.
1-18
ProCarManuals.com

Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
A CAUTION:
I
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.
1-19
ProCarManuals.com

What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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.
1-20
ProCarManuals.com

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.
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) System
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) system or air bag system.
Your vehicle may have
an air bag for the driver.
If it does, it will say
Supplemental Inflatable
Restraint on the middle part
of the steering wheel.
1-21
ProCarManuals.com

Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
A CAUTION:
-
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 vehicle, including the driver,
should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether or
not there’s an air bag for that person.
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.
AIR
BAG
’ There is an air bag
readiness light
on the
instrument panel, which
shows
AIR BAG.
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.
1-22
ProCarManuals.com