child seat BUICK CENTURY 1997 User Guide

If your child restraint has a top strap, your dealer can
obtain a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions specifically designed for this vehicle. The
dealer can then install the anchor for
you. In Canada,
this work will be done for you free
of charge. Or, you
may install the anchor yourself using the instructions
provided
in the kit.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
U
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap
if the child restraint has one.
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.
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.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Rear Seat Position
U
You’ll be using the lap belt.
A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can be badly injured by the right front passenger
air bag if it inflates. Never secure a child restraint
in the center front seat.
It’s always better to
secure a child restraint in the rear seat. You may,
however, secure a forward-facing child restraint
I
1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
in the right front passenger seat, but only with
instructions say. the seat moved all the way back.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
4. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the
See the earlier part about the top strap if the child restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
restraint has one. you how.
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7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it
is secure. If it isn’t, secure
the restraint in
a different place in the vehicle and
contact the child restraint maker for their advice
about how to attach the child restraint properly.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt.
It will be ready to work for an adult or larger
child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
5. 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.
6. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push
down on the child restraint. Your
vehicle has a right front passenger air bag.
Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here’s why:
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A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates. This
is because the back of a
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating air bag. Always secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the rear seat.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has
one.
1.
2.
3.
Because your vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go
before securing a forward-facing child restraint. (See
“Seats” in the Index.)
Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
4. 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.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face
or neck, put it behind the child restraint.
5. 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.
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Larger Children Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window
so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out in
Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
a crash.
people who are.
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I
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces.
In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
Q: What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child
is so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child’s face or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide. If the
child is sitting in a rear seat outside position, see
“Rear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides’’ in the Index.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in the center seat position,
the one that has only a lap belt.
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A CAUTION:
-
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in
a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part
is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt’s force would then be applied right on the
child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal iniuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
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Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you an extender. It’s free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear,
so the
extender will be long enough for you. The extender will
be just for you, and just for the seat in your vehicle that
you choose. Don’t let someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to fit.
To wear it, just attach
it to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages
are working properly. If your vehicle has a
built-in child restraint, also periodically make sure the
harness straps, latch plates, buckle, clip, retractors and
anchorages
are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt and built-in child restraint
system parts. If you see anything that might keep a
safety belt or built-in child restraint system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt is
torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
If your vehicle has the built-in child restraint, torn or
frayed harness straps can rip apart under impact forces
just like torn or frayed safety belts can. They may
not
protect a child in a crash. If a harness strap is torn or
frayed, get a new harness right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
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Replacing Restraint System Parts
After
a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new safety belts or
built-in child restraint parts?
After
a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the safety belts or built-in child restraint harness
straps were stretched, as they would be
if worn during a
more severe crash, then you need new safety belts or
harness straps.
If safety belts or built-in child restraint harness straps
are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision damage also
may mean
you will need to have safety belt, built-in
child restraint or seat parts repaired or replaced. New
parts and repairs may be necessary even if the safety
belt or built-in child restraint wasn’t being used at the
time
of the collision.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag
system parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier
in this section.
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If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else
-- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you have to stop or turn quickly, or
if there
is a crash, they’ll keep going.
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in
a sudden stop or turn, or in
a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
trunk, put them
as far forward as you can.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
Towing a Trailer
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull
a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
Pull a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in this section. Ask your Buick dealer
for
advice and information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Pulling a trailer improperly can damage your
vehicle and result in costly repairs not covered by
your warranty.
To pull a trailer correctly, follow
the advice in this part, and see your Buick dealer
for important information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
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