BUICK RAINIER 2004 Owner's Guide

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 t 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.
1-17

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 x 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, seeDriver Position on page 1-13.
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 shoulder 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.
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 Passenger Positions
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.When the shoulder 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 on page 1-25.
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 up on the
shoulder part.
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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 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.
{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 t against your body.
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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
for Children and Small Adults
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides provide added safety
belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for small adults. When attached to a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide better positions the
belt away from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each of the rear outside
passenger positions. Here’s how to attach the comfort
guide to the shoulder belt.
1. Slide the guide off of its storage clip located
between the interior body and the seatback.
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2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic
cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide
over the belt and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies at.
The elastic cord must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
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