PONTIAC PONTIAC 1995 User Guide

Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This position
reduces
the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches (2-Door Models)
The front seat folds forward
to let people get into the
back seat. Your seatback
will move back and forth
freely, unless you come to a
sudden stop. Then
it will
lock in place.
~r your vehicle is parked going down a fairly steep hill,
the seatback may not fold without some help from you.
To fold the locked seatback forward, push the seatback
toward the rear as you
lift this latch. Then the seatback
will fold forward. The latch must be down for the seat to
work properly.
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Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And
it explains the Supplemental Restraint System, or
“air bag” system. Your
vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder
to
buckle up. (See “Safety Belt
Reminder Light” in the
Index.)
In many states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t
know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes
are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or
killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it
goes.
Put someone on it.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
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Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop. The
person keeps going until stopped by something.
In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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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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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?
A: 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.
&= Why don’t they just put in air bags so people
won’t have to wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be
in more
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.
@ .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?
a,
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.
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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special thgs 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 Pontiac, 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
vehcle has.
We’ll start
with the driver position.
Driver Position (2-Door Models)
This part describes the driver’s restraint system. If you
have a four-door model, see “Driver Position (4-DOOr
Models)” later in this section.
Lap-Shoulder Belt (2-Door Models)
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.
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I
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. 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. 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.
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.
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@ What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
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What’s wrong with this?
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