BUICK PARK AVENUE 1999 Owner's Manual

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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 likelyto 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 crash, or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
When you move a front seat head restraint, the shoulder
belt height changes. See ªHead Restraintsº in the Index.
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Q: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 increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
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Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
CAUTION:
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.
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Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your
body would move too far forward, which would
increase the chance of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren't as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across the body.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn't have the full width of the
belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make it straight so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix it.
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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the
belt and your vehicle.
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, below
the rounding, 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.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's
safety belt properly, see ªDriver Positionº earlier in
this section.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same
way as the driver's safety belt
-- except for one thing. If
you ever pull the lap portion of the belt out all the way,
you will engage the child restraint locking feature. If
this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and
start again.
If your vehicle has a center passenger position, 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.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.Your vehicle has ªNext Generationº frontal air bags
--
one air bag for the driver and another air bag for the
right front passenger.
Next Generation frontal air bags are designed to help
reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating
air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly if they are to do their job and comply with
federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you aren't wearing your safety belt
-- even if
you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected
from it. Air bags are ªsupplemental restraintsº to
the safety belts. All air bags
-- even Next
Generation air bags
-- are designed to work with
safety belts, but don't replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren't designed to inflate at all in
rollover, rear, side or low
-speed frontal crashes.
And, for unrestrained occupants, Next Generation
air bags may provide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful air bags have provided
in the past. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly
-- whether or not there's an air
bag for that person.
CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you're too close to an inflating
air bag, as you would be if you were leaning
forward, it could seriously injure you. This is true
even with Next Generation frontal air bags. Safety
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
belts help keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
Next Generation air bags. The driver should sit as
far back as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
plus lap
-shoulder belts offer the best protection
for adults, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system
nor its air bag system is designed for them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle. To read
how, see the part of this manual called ªChildrenº
and see the caution labels on the sunvisors and the
right front passenger's safety belt.
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR BAG.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.
How the Air Bag System Works
Where are the air bags?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger's air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger's side.
CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don't
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near
-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate only if
the impact speed is above the system's designed ªthreshold
level.º If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn't
move or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 15 mph
(14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes
something that will move or deform, such as a parked car,
the threshold level will be higher. The air bag is not
designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts or rear
impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant.
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