belt BUICK CENTURY 1994 Owner's Manual

Lap Belt
When you sit in a center seating position, or in a station
wagon third seat,
you have a lap safety belt, which has
no retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate
and pull
it along the belt.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug. Buckle, position and release
it the same way as the lap
part
of a lap-shoulder belt. 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.
44
ProCarManuals.com

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 Lap-Shoulder
Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here's how to wear one properly.
45
ProCarManuals.com

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.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
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 is positioned
so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if
you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull
up on the shoulder part.
46
!
ProCarManuals.com

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.
47
ProCarManuals.com

0 To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the
buckle.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. In fact,
the law
in every state in the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up
to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
4s
ProCarManuals.com

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
infant 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.
Keep
in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move
around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be sure
to properly secure any child
restraint
in your vehicle -- even when no child is in it.
50
ProCarManuals.com

Top Strap
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.
For-cars first sold
iri Canada, child restraints with a top
strap must be anchored according to Canadian Law.
Your dealer can obtain the hardware kit and install it for
you, or
you may install it yourself using the instructions
provided in the kit.
Use the tether hardware
kit available from the dealer.
The hardware and installation instructions were
specifically designed for this vehicle.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Position
U
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
section about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
ProCarManuals.com

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.
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. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions
of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions will
show
you how. Tilt the latch plate to adjust the
belt if needed.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or
neck, put
it behind the child restraint.
4. Buckle
the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5. Then thread both the lap and shoulder belt portions
through the locking clip.
ProCarManuals.com

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.
ProCarManuals.com

Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Seat
Position
U
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.
1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
- x , . ... '1
1
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
LA
ProCarManuals.com