Oldsmobile Bravada 2003 s Owner's Guide

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 “Seats” in the Index.
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 1-26.
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. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder belt.
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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.
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What’s wrong with this?
1
You can be ser.,sly hurt if yo^. shouLr 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.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
I
P
You can be serisusiy 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?
1 Y ~ ~ ci be sel US~, nju 3 if you wear ’ !
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.
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
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Q: What’s wrong with this? 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.
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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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 don’t wear safety belts.
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.
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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 1-13.
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 let the belt go back all
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 Passenger Positions
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here’s
how to wear one properly. 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, see
Safety Belt Extender on page 1-26.
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.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder part.
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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.
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.
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