BUICK REGAL 1993 Owner's Manual

A CAUTION:
If an easy entry right front seat isn’t locked, it
can move. In a sudden stop or crash, the person
sitting there could be injured. After you’ve used
it, be sure to push rearward on an easy entry
seat
to be sure it is locked.
Safety Belts: They’re For Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you
some things you should not do
with safety belts.
A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where they can’t wear a
safety belt properly.
If you are in a crash and
you’re
not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can
be much worse. You can
hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from
it. You can be
seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, you
might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten
your safety belt, and check that your passengers’
belts are fastened properly
too.
I
This figure lights up when you turn the key to “Run” or
“Start” when your safety belt isn’t buckled, and you’ll
hear a tone, too. It’s the reminder to buckle up.
In many states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why: Thev work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are very mild.
In them, you won’t get hurt
even if you’re not buckled up. And some crashes can be
so serious, like being hit by a train, that even buckled up
a person wouldn’t survive. But most crashes are in
between. In many of them, people who buckle up can
survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they
could be badly hurt or killed.
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After 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are
clear.
In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work w w
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it
.. ,
For example, if the bike is going 10 mph (16 km/h), so
is the child.
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t
When the bike hits the block, it stops. But the child
keeps going!
1
I . ..
Take the simplest “vehicle.” Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
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Put someone on it.
. L
Get it up to speed. Then stop the “car.” The rider doesn’t
stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle,
it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...
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d
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.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the
Answers
Q: 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 easily 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.
Q: Why don’t they just put in air bags so people
won’t have to wear safety belts?
A: “Air bags,’’ or Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
systems, are in some vehicles today and will be in
more
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
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most protection. That’s true not only in frontal
collisions, but especially in side and other
collisions.
Q.’ 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.
Safety Belt Warning Eight
L J When the key is turned
to “Run” or “Start,” a
tone will come
on for
about eight seconds to
remind people
to fasten
their safety belts, unless the driver’s
safety belt
is buckled.
The safety belt light
I I will also come on and
stay on
until the
driver’s belt is buckled.
I
A CAUTION:
If your safety belt light ever comes on or stays
on after the front doors are closed and the
driver’s belt
is buckled, have your vehicle fixed.
I If you don’t, you might not have the Drotection
you’d need in a crash.
I I
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How To Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This section is only for people of adult size.
A CAUTION: c ..;
There are special things to know about safety
belts and children. And there are different rules
for babies and smaller children. If a child will be
riding in your Buick, see the section after this
one, called “Children.” Follow those rules fop
everyone’s protection.
Cars First Sold In Canada
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
the rest of Part
1 does not apply to your vehicle.
To learn how to use your safety belts, please read the
Owner’s Manual Safety Belt Supplement. It comes with
every new Buick first sold
in Canada.
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s restraint system.
First, you’ll want
to know which restraint systems your
vehicle
has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
U
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Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
This safety belt is called “automatic” because you don’t
have to buckI’e 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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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
The lap belt should be worn as low
on the hips as
possible. In a crash, this applies force to the strong
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