CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1996 1.G Service Manual
Manufacturer: CHEVROLET, Model Year: 1996, Model line: EXPRESS, Model: CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1996 1.GPages: 376, PDF Size: 18.83 MB
Page 41 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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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. 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
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 shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it will
~ lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and start again.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s 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 aren’t 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.
Page 42 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s
how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
Pull up
on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When
the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it will
lock.
If it does, let it go back all the way and start again.
If the belt is not long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section.
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Page 43 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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 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.
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Page 44 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash.
- -
A 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 fit against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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Page 45 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has rear bench seats, someone can sit in
the center positions. 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.
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Page 46 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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” at the end
of this section.
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.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size.
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 (Except Cargo
Vans
with Passt-- r Air B 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 infant restraint.
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Page 47 of 376

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
CAUTION: (Continued)
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I
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
at only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (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.
Page 48 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Smaller Children and Babies (Cargo Vans
with Passenger Air Bags)
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. Smaller children
and babies should always be restrained in
a child
restraint. However, infants, who should be
restrained in
a rear-facing child restraint, cannot
ride safely in this vehicle. The instructions for the
restraint will say whether it is the right type and
size for your child. If
a forward-facing child
restraint is suitable for your child, be sure the
child is always properly restrained while riding
in this vehicle. A CAUTION:
I
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)
I I
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Page 49 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine CAUTIOPT. ipontinuedi
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-1b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become
a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby
would be almost impossible
to hold.
Child Restraints
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.
Where to Put the Restraint (Except Cargo
Vans and Cab and Chassis Models)
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 a rear seat. If your vehicle has a front passenger air bag,
neuer put a rear-facing child restraint
in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
I A CAUTION: I
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured
if the right front passenger’s
air bag inflates. This is because the back of a
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating air bag.
If your vehicle has a right
front passenger’s air bag, always secure a
rear-facing child restraint in a rear seat.
You may, however, secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat. Before you secure
a forward-facing child restraint, always move the
front passenger seat
as far back as it will go. Or,
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
-estraint 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.
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Page 50 of 376

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Where to. Put the Restraint (Cargo Vans
and Cab and Chassis Models)
The child restraint must be secured properly in the
passenger seat. If your vehicle has a passenger air bag,
never- put a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
Here's why:
r"
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the passenger's
air bag
inflates. This
is because the back of a rear-facing
child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
air bag. Do not use a rear-facing child restraint in
this vehicle.
If a forward-facing child restraint is suitable for
your child, always move the passenger seat as
far
back as it will go.
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.
Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored. If
you need to have an anchor installed, you
can ask your GM dealer to put it in for you. If you want
to install an anchor yourself, your 'dealer can tell you
how to
do it.
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