BUICK CENTURY 1996 Owner's Manual

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels. Put
someone
on it.
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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
QZ 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.
QZ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
&.’ If I’m 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’re in an
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.
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most 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.
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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 things 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 Buick, 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
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Was your Buick first sold, when new, in Canada?
(If it
was, a sticker on the driver’s door will say “conforms
to
all applicable Canada motor vehicle . . . ” etc.) If so,
then this “Driver Position” part doesn’t apply to your
vehicle.
To learn how to use your driver position safety
belts, read the
Canadian Owner’s Manual Safety Belt
Supplement.
It comes with every new Century first sold
in Canada.
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Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
This safety belt is called “automatic” because you don’t
have
to buckle up when you get into your vehicle. And you
don’t have to unbuckle when you get out.
Just get into your vehicle. Then close and lock the door.
Adjust
the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index) so
you can sit up straight.
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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.
Don’t let it get twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure
it is secure.
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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.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would
move forward
too much, which could significantly increase
injury. The shoulder belt should
fit against
your body.
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What’s wrong with this?
I
I
I IA
L L LJTION:
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 at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal injuries. Always
buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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