CHEVROLET BLAZER 1993 Owner's Guide

Seats & Safety Belts
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AM115008
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, a\
re 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 r\
equired 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 most protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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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 Reminder Light
K2443
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a light will come on for about
eight seconds to remind people to fasten their safety belts. Unless the driver’s
safety belt is buckled, a buzzer or tone will also sound.
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Seafs & Safety Belts
How To Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
+ There are special things to know about safety belts and children. And
u there are different rules for babies and smaller children. If a child will
be riding in your vehicle, see the part after this one, called
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.\

I
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has. We’ll start
with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
C IE
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
T
I 1 I I I
AM1 20007
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)\
so you can sit
up straight.
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3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. On some models
you may hear a clicking sound
as the shoulder belt is pulled out or
when released back into the cover. This is the shoulder belt tension
reducing feature operating properly. Don’t let the belt get \
twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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Seats & Safety Belts
If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender”\
at the end of this
section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle faces upward or outward
so you
would be able to unbuckle it quickly if you ever had to.
The lap part of the belt should be low and snug on the hips, just touching
the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelv\
ic 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.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
AM120015
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly as much protection this
way.
A You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a
- crash you would move forward too much, which could increase in\
jury.
The shoulder belt should
fit against your body.
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CAUTION
A
You can be seriously injured if your belt goes 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 fata\
l injuries.
Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
A
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AM125001
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should be worn over the
shoulder at all times.
A You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your I
I- 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?
AM125002
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
I 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 impad forces. If a
belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your
1 dealer to fix a.
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.- . r-
AN120123
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. The belt should go
back out of the way.
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Seats & Safety Belts
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 vehicl\
e.
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 po\
rtion
should be worn as
low as possible throughout the pregnancy.
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.
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Right Front Passenger Position
K2426
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same way \
as the driver’s safety belt.
See “Driver Position,” earlier in this section.
When the lap portion
of the belt is pulled out all the way, it will lock. If it
does, let it go back all the way and start again.
Center Passenger Position
(Except Wagon Models Second Seat)
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone can sit in the center
positions.
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