belt BUICK CENTURY 1994 User Guide

I I I I 1 I I 1 1 I I I 1
The lap belt should be worn as low on the hips as
possible. 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.
It’s possible that
an automatic belt could keep you from
fully opening a door. That can happen if the door was
slammed shut very hard. Just close the door all the way,
then slowly open it. If that doesn’t fix it, then your
Buick needs service.
We hope you’ll always keep your automatic belt
buckled. However,
you may need to unbuckle it in an
emergency. And you would need
to unbuckle it to let
someone get into the center front seat position,
if your
vehicle has one.
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To unbuckle the automatic belt, just push the button on
the buckle.
To reattach the automatic belt:
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see "Seats" in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
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.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
‘A
I I I I I I I
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
I A CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash you would move forward
too much, which could significantfy increase
injury.
The shoulder belt should fit against your
body.
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@' What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
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&." What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This section explains the driver’s Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS), commonly referred to as an
alr
bag. Here are the most important things to know:
A CAUTION:
Even with an air bag, if you’re not wearing a
safety belt and you’re
in a crash, your injuries
may be much worse.
Air bags are not designed
to inflate
in rotlovers or in rear, side or low-speed
frontal crashes.
You need to wear your safety
belt to reduce the chance of
hitting things inside
the vehicle or being ejected from
it. Always wear
your safety belt, even with an air bag.
A CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag,
it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you
in position for an air bag infiation
in a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with an air bag, and
sit as far back as you can
while
still maintaining control of your vehicle.
A CAUTION:
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with
a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle
should get out as soon as it is safe to do
so. If you have breathing problems but can’t get
out of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then
get fresh air by opening
a window or door.
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What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is suddenly
stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing system
triggers a chemical reaction
of the sodium azide sealed
in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas,
which inflates the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and
related hardware are all part
of the air bag inflator
module packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements
the protection provided by
safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not
provide protection in many types
of collisions, including
rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags
should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belt protection in moderate
to
severe frontal and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly
deflate. This occurs
so quickly that some people may
not even realize that the air bag inflated. Some
components of the air bag module in the steering wheel
hub may be hot for a short time, but the portion of the
bag that comes into contact with
you will not be hot to
the touch. There will be small amounts of smoke and
dust coming from vents in the deflated air bag. The air
bag will
not impede the driver’s vision or ability to steer
the vehi,cle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting
the vehicle.
The air bag is designed to inflate only once. After it
inflates, you’ll need some new parts for your air bag
system. If you don’t get them, the air bag system
won’t be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include the air bag module and
possibly other parts. The service manual has
information about the need to replace other parts.
0 Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the sensors are activated and
whether the driver’s safety belt was
in use.
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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.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible
throughout the pregnancy. 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
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier
in this part.
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0 Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight. Move your seat far enough
forward that your feet touch the part
of the car that is
called the “toeboard” (A). That way you’d be less
likely
to slide under the lap belt in a crash.
- I
Center Passenger Position And Any
Station Wagon Third Seat Passenger
Position
U
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