CADILLAC CATERA 1998 1.G Workshop Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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,
or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor. Each position next to the windows has a shoulder belt
height adjuster. Move the shoulder belt adjuster to the
height that is right for you.
I
Press the release button and move the height adjuster
to the desired position. After you move the adjuster
to where you want it, try to move it down without
pressing the release button to
make sure it has locked
into position.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the
belt is centered
on your shoulder. The belt should be
away from your face and neck, but not falling
off
your shoulder.
1 A CAUTION:
t I
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.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
Smaller Children and Babies
A CAUTION:
--- I
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.
Young children and infants need the protection
that
a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
I
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
inf& rwaink
Infants need complete support, including support for
the head and neck. This
is necessary because an
infant’s neck is weak and its head weighs
so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant
in a rear-facing restraint settles into the restraint, so the
crash forces can be distributed across the strongest part
of the infant’s body, the back and shoulders.
A baby
should be secured in an appropriate infant restraint.
This is
so important that many hospitals today won’t
release a newborn infant to its parents unless there is
an infant restraint available for the baby’s first trip in
a motor vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Never hold a baby in your 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
CAUTION: (Continued) at
only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 124b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become
a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby
in an infant restraint.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
@ What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints are available in four
basic types. When selecting a child restraint, take
into consideration not only the child’s weight and
size, but also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it
will be used.
An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for
use in a motor vehicle. It’s an infant restraint
system designed to restrain
or position a child on
a continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear
of the vehicle. Rear-facing infant
restraints are designed for infants of up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type
of restraint faces the rear
so that the infant’s head,
neck and body can have the support they need in a
crash. Some infant seats come in two parts
-- the
base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part
is removable.
1-44

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A forward-facing child restraint (C-E) positions a
child upright to face forward in the vehicle. These
forward-facing restraints are designed to help protect
children who are
from 20 to 40 lbs. (9 to 18 kg) and
about
26 to 40 inches (66 to 102 cm) in height, or up
to around four years of age. One type, a convertible
restraint, is designed
to be used either as a rear-facing
infant seat or
a forward-facing child seat.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A booster seat (F, G) is designed for children
who are about
40 to 60 lbs. (1 8 to 27 kg) and
about four to eight years
of age. It’s designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
Booster seats with shields use lap-only belts;
however, booster seats without shields use lap-shoulder belts. Booster seats can also help
a child to see out the window.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it
is, it
will have a label saying that it meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then 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. Both the
owner’s manual and the child restraint instructions are
important,
so if either one of these is not available,
obtain a replacement copy from the manufacturer.
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.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
I
A child in a rearfacing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates, even though your
vehicle has Next Generation frontal air bags, This
is because the back of the rearfacing child
restraint would be very close
to the inflating air
bag. Always secure a rearfacing child restraint
in a rear seat,
You may secure a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, but before you
do, always
move the front passenger seat
as far back as it
will
go. It’s better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in
a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle.
Be sure to properly secure any
child restraint in your vehicle
-- even when no child
is in it.