PONTIAC G8 2008 User Guide

Put someone on it.
Get it up to speed. Then stop the
vehicle. The rider does not stop.The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In a real
vehicle, it could be the windshield...
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 is why
safety belts make such good sense.
Seats and Restraints 1-7
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:
Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not. But
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so
youcanunbuckle and get out, is
muchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety
belt, even if you are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags,
why should I have to wear
safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in
frontal collisions, but especially in
side and other collisions.
Q:If I am 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 are in a crash — even
one that is not your fault — you
and your passenger(s) can be
hurt. Being a good driver does not
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 section 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 infants. If a child will be riding in
the vehicle, seeOlder Children on
page 1-32orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-34. Follow those
rules for everyone’s protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up
can be thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are
wearing safety belts.
1-8 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

First, before you or your
passenger(s) wear a safety belt,
there is important information
you should know.
Sit up straight and always keep your
feet on the oor in front of you. 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 pelvicbones and you would be less likely to
slide under the lap belt. If you slid
under it, the belt would apply force
on 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 shoulder belt locks if there is a
sudden stop or crash.Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose. It
will not give as much protection
this way.
{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 snugly against
your body.
Seats and Restraints 1-9
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose. It will
not give nearly as much
protection this way.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously hurt if
your lap belt is too loose. In a
crash, you could slide under
the lap belt and apply force on
your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal
injuries. The lap belt should be
worn low and snug on the hips,
just touching the thighs.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
1-10 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

{CAUTION
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 on
the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into
the buckle nearest you.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
{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 on the abdomen, not on
the pelvic bones, and that
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. Be sure the belt goes
under the armrests.
Seats and Restraints 1-11
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under
the arm. It should be worn over
the shoulder at all times.
{CAUTION
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 are not as strong as
shoulder bones. You could also
severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen. The
shoulder belt should go over
the shoulder and across the
chest.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
1-12 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by
not wearing the lap-shoulder
belt properly. In a crash, you
would not be restrained by the
shoulder belt. Your body could
move too far forward increasing
the chance of head and neck
injury. You might also slide
under the lap belt. The belt
force would then be applied
right on the abdomen. That
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt
should go over the shoulder
and across the chest.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by
a twisted belt. In a crash, you
would not 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/retailer to x it.
Seats and Restraints 1-13
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder
belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull
the belt across you. Do not let
it get twisted.The lap-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.
If you ever pull the shoulder
portion of a passenger belt out all
the way, you may engage the
child restraint locking feature. If
this happens, just let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
3. 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
is not long enough, seeSafety
Belt Extender on page 1-17.
Make sure the release button on
the buckle is positioned so
you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if
necessary.
4. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.
1-14 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
go back out of the way. When the
safety belt is not in use, slide
the latch plate up the safety belt
webbing. The latch plate should rest
on the stitching on the safety belt,
near the guide loop on the side wall.Before you close a door, be sure
the belt is out of the way. If you slam
the door on it, you can damage
both the belt and the vehicle.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
The vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for the front outboard
occupants. Although you cannot see
them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They can help tighten the
safety belts during the early stages of
a moderate to severe frontal and
near frontal crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner activation
are met. And, if the vehicle has
side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the
safety belts in a side crash.Pretensioners work only once.
If they activate in a crash, you will
need to get new ones, and probably
other new parts for the safety belt
system. SeeReplacing Safety
Belt System Parts After a Crash
on page 1-18.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-15
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

There is one guide for each
outboard passenger position in the
rear seat. Here is how to install
a comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from the
side of the seatback to remove
the guide from its storage pocket.
2. Place the guide over the belt and
insert the two edges of the belt
into the slots of the guide.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.
1-16 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual