belt CHEVROLET ASTRO 2003 User Guide

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure. If the belt isn’t long enough, see
Safety
Belt Extender on page 1-34.
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.
Don’t let it get twisted.
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 crash,
or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
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Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster To move it down, push it in at the top of the arrows
and move the height adjuster to the desired position.
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
You can move the adjuster up just
by pushing up on the
adjuster to the height that is right for you.
shoulder belt guide. After you move the adjuster to
your shoulder
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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.
You can be seriously hurt if your slI,ulder 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.
'I I can be serious injured i OUL --elt 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?
1
A: The belt is over an armrest. You
can be seriously injured
.. jour bell ,oes
over an armrest like this. The belt would be
much too high.
In a crash, you can slide under
the belt. The belt force would then be applied
at the abdomen, not at the pelvic bones, and
that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
L L
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at
all times.
feu can be se IUS injure f you wear ?
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.
You can be seriously injured by a twisted beltl
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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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.
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.
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
Driver Position on page 1-18.
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.
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has rear bench seats, someone can sit
in the center positions.
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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. 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
on page 1-34.
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.
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