belt BUICK LESABRE 1993 Owner's Manual

Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape, or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air bag
system.
But if the ignition has to be on for electrical work, or if
the steering column is to be disassembled, the air bag
system must be disconnected.
To do this:
Turn off the ignition.
Remove the SIR/SRS (air bag) fuse (see “Fuses and
Circuit Breakers” in the Index).
Disconnect the yellow connector at the base of the
When the work is complete, if the air bag system was
disconnected, be sure to reattach everything and replace
the fuse before turning the ignition on. When you
turn
the ignition key on, be sure you see the air bag readiness
light on the instrument panel. If
you don’t see this light
flash and then go out as usual, have your air bag system
repaired. steering
column.
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.
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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.
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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.
When the lap portion
of the belt is pulled out all the
way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
Be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your
lap-shoulder belt. If you find that the latch plate will not
go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
Center Passenger Position
n
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When you sit in a center seating position, 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.
I
11
A
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 faces upward
or outward
so you would be able to unbuckle it quickly
if you ever had to.
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.
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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.
When the lap belt is pulled
out all the way, it will
lock. If
it does, let it go back all the way and start
again. 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. 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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/1 CAUTION:
You 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.
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 and Canadian province says
children up to
some age must be restrained while in a
vehicle.
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Smaller Children and Babies
A 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 child’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.
A CAUTION: 0
Never hold a baby in ydur arms while riding in a .
vehicle. A baby doesn’t weigh 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 (11 0 kg) force OR your arms.
The baby would be almost impossible to hold.
A
CAUTION: (Continued) I --
42

Child Restraints
4
I
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.
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Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Position See if the shoulder belt would go in front of the
child’s face or neck. If
so, put it behind the child
restraint.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
section 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. 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.
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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.
1
A
A
I
5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor
to set the lock.
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6. To tighten the belt, feed the lap belt into the retractor
while
you push down on the child restraint.
7. 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 let
it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready
to work for an adult
or larger child passenger.
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