CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN 2004 2.G Owner's Guide

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 would not 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 1-18.
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, seeSafety 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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Rear Seat Passengers
It is 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 are not 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 Outside Passenger PositionsLap-Shoulder Belt
These positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here is how to
wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
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2. 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 is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-34.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so that you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.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 pelvic bones. And you would 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.
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The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop
or a crash.
{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.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
for Children and Small Adults
Rear safety belt comfort guides provide added safety belt
comfort for older children who have outgrown booster
seats and for small adults. When installed on a shoulder
belt, the comfort guide better positions the belt away from
the neck and head.
Here is how to install a comfort guide and use the
safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage clip on the side
of 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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4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as
described inRear Seat Passengers on page 1-29.
Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the
shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together so that you can take them out of
the guides. Slide the guide onto the storage clip.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you an extender. It’s free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. The extender
will be just for you, and just for the seat in your
vehicle that you choose. Don’t let someone else use it,
and use it only for the seat it is made to t. To wear
it, just attach it to the regular safety belt.
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