Oldsmobile Alero 2003 s Owner's Guide

Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: 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 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.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
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
Older Children on page 7-32
or Infants and Young Children on page 7-34. 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.
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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 so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see
Manual Seats on page 1-2 or Six-Way
Power Driver Seat on page
1-3.
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
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
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1-15

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
on page 1-3 1.
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.
I I--
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.
1-16

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
(Four-Door Models)
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that
is right for you.
To move it down, squeeze the release button and move
the height adjuster to the desired position. You can
move the adjuster up just by pushing on the shoulder
belt guide. After you move the adjuster to where
you want it, try to move it down without squeezing the
release button 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.
1-17

Q: What’s wrong with this?
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.
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
1-18

Q: What’s wrong with this?
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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Q: What’s wrong with this?
I I I I I I
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.
1-20

Q: What's wrong with this?
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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.
L I I I I I I I I I 1
A: The belt is twisted across the bodv.
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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.
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.
1-22

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t 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, see
Driver Position on page 1-75.
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.
if this happens, just iet the beit go back aii
the way and start again.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s 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 aren’t 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.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
1-23