belt BUICK CENTURY 1993 Owner's Manual

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
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly:
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull it across you. Don’t let
it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. If
the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate
and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
If the belt is not long enough,
see “Safety Belt Extender”
at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle faces upward
or outward
so you would be able to unbuckle it quickly if
you ever had to.
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3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. 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.
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A CAUTION:
Q
Y&u 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.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Children
i
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult
size. In fact,
the law in every state and Canadian province
says
children up to some age must be restrained while in a
vehicle.
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Smaller Children and Babies
/i CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always be restrained
in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions
for the restraint will say whether it
is the right type and size for your child. A very
young chlld’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not
stay low on the hips, as
it should. Instead, the belt will likely be over
the child’s abdomen.
In a crash the belt would
apply
force right on the child’s abdomen,
which could cause serious or
fatal injuries. So,
be sure that any child small enough for one is
always properly restrained in a child or Infant
restraint.
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A CAUTION: -
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in
a vehicle. A baby doesn’t welgh much-until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
at
only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-pound (5.5 kg)
baby will suddenly become a 240-pound (110 kg)
force on your arms. The baby would be almost
impossible to hold.
A
-l
c
CAUTION (Continued) I
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CAUTION (Continued)
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
I
Child Restraints
Be sure to follow the instructions for the restraint. You
may find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system
in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance
of personal injury.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will
show you how to do that.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are
restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint
in the rear seat unless the child is an inht
and you’re the only adult in the vehicle.
In that case, you
might want to secure
the restraint in the front seat where
you can keep an eye on the baby.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure
the child
restraint properly.
/r CAUTION:
An unsecured chlld restraint can mov8 around
in
I collision or sudden stop and injure people
In the vehicle. Be sure to properly 88cure any
chlld restraint In pur vehicle-ew-n when no
chlld is in it. I
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Top Strap Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Position
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
section about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored. If you need to have
an anchor installed, you
can ask your Buick dealer to put it in for you.
If you want
to install an anchor yourself, your dealer can tell you how
to do it.
If you want
to use a child restraint with a top strap in the
second seat of a station wagon, have your dealer install a
combination anchor-tether belt to which the top strap can
be hooked. You’ll need
a safety locking clip to properly secure a
child restraint in this position. You can get a locking clip
where child restraints are sold, or from your Buick
dealer
(GM Part Number 94844571). The locking clip
must be the same as the one shown here.
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Until you have this clip, secure a child restraint only in a
seat that has a separate lap belt (and a way to anchor a
top strap, if the child restraint has one). See the following
section about securing a child restraint in a center position. \
Once you have the clip, follow these instructions:
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions,
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the instructions say.
3. Pull out the vehicle’s safety belt and run the lap part
through or around the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show you how. Tilt the latch plate to
adjust the belt if needed. See if the shoulder belt
would
go in front of the child’s face or neck. If so, put
it behind the child restraint.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button faces upward or outward,
so you’ll be able to unbuckle it
quickly
if you ever need to.
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I
5. Then thread both the lap and shoulder belt portions
through the locking clip.'
I A CAUTION:
If a locking clip is not used or is not installed
properly, the chlld restraint may move or tip
Over when your vehicle turns or stops quickly.
The child or others could
be injured. When
you secure
a child restraint with a lap-
shoulder belt, always thread both the lap and
shoulder
belt portions through a locking clip. I
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A
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it
is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and remove the locking clip. Let the safety
belt go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely
again and be ready to work for an adult or larger child
passenger.
I
/i CAUTION:
When not used with a chlld restraint seat, a
safety belt with a child restraint locking clip
still attached can cause serious injury in
a
crash. Always remove the clip when you are
not using
it with a child restraint.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Seat
Position
When you secure a child restraint in a center seating
position, you’ll be using the lap belt.
See the earlier section about the top strap if the child
restraint has one.
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. ..
I
1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
plate and pulling it along the belt.
for the child restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
4. Run the vehicle's safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
5. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button faces
upward or outward,
so you'll be able to unbuckle it
quickly if you ever need to.
6. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push
down on
the child restraint.
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