GMC SIERRA 1993 Owner's Guide

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
K244
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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Seats & Safety Belts
How To Wear Safety Belts Properry
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
* There are special things to know about safety belts and children. And
there are different rules for babies and smaller children. If a child will
be riding in your vehicle, see the part after this one, calle\
d
“Children.” Follow these rules for everyone’s protection.\

I
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your vehi\
cle has. We’ll start
with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
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K2124
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AM120007
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 ou\
tward
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 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 ac\
ross 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?
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A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly as much protection this
way.
CAUTION I
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a
The shoulder belt should
fit against your body.
b crash you would move forward too much, which could increase in\
jury.
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Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
CAUTION
I
A
You can be seriously injured if your belt 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. Thi\
s could
cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the
buckle nearest vou.
Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is over an af"nreSt.
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Seats & Safety Belts
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 fatal in\
juries.
Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
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AM125001
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should be worn over the
shoulder at all times.
You can be seriously injured if you wear the 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
I or spleen.
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Q: What's wrong with this?
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AM125002
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you
I-, 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.
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 Be/t 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 if at all possible. The lap
portion should be worn as low as possible throughout the pregnancy.
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AM135001
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 Passenger Position (Pickup Models)
Right Front, Passenger Posltbn
(€Mended Cab
and Four Door ModeS)
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.
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Seats & Safety Belts
Center Passenger Positions
(Except Extended
Cab Rear Seat)
K2128
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone can sit in the center
positions.
Center Passenger Position (Front Seats)
Center Passenger Position (Four Door
Models Rear Seat)
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When you sit in the 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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