belt GMC SIERRA 1998 Owner's Manual

How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contxt the steering wheel or the
instrument panel.
Air bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags would
not help you in many types of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward those air bags. Air
bags should
never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only
in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, or
the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
bag
-- will be hot for a short time. The parts of the bag
that come into contact with
you may be warm, but not
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from vents
in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing or from
being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble,
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it
is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening
a window or door.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they
inflate,
you’ll need some new parts for your air bag
system.
If you don’t get them, the air bag system
won’t be there to help protect you
in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
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0 Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, whch records information about
the air
bag system. The module records information
about the readiness
of the system, when the sensors are
activated
and driver’s safety belt usage at deployment.
switch
on the instrument. panel that you can use to
turn
off the passenger’s air bag. But use this switch
only when you want to secure a rear-facing child
restraint at the right front passenger’s position. See
“Securing a Child Restraint
in the Right Front Seat
Position”
in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.
0 Unless you have a Crew Cab, your vehicle has a
A CAUT-ON:
If the right front passenger’s air bag is turned
off, the person sitting there won’t have the extra
protection
of an air bag. In a crash, the air bag
wouldn’t be able to inflate and help protect the
person sitting there. Make sure the
air bag is
turned on unless
you are using a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position.
0 Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that your air bag
system won’t work properly. See your dealer
for service.
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Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone
can sit in the center positions. Rear (Extended and Crew Cab)
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Front (All) Rear (Extended and Crew Cab)
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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r ront (All)
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.
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.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
(Extended
Cab)
If you have a Crew Cab, see “Rear Seat Outside
Passenger Positions (Crew Cab)” later
in this section.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt (Extended Cab)
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. If
the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not 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.
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1. 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.
The safety belt locks
if there's a sudden stop or a crash.
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1 A CAUTION:
I
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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Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions (Crew Cab)
If you have an Extended Cab, see “Rear Seat
Outside Passenger Positions (Extended Cab)” earlier
in this section.
Lap-Shoulder Belt (Crew Cab)
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.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. pull
up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. When
the lap 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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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.
1
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 only if there’s a sudden stop or
a crash.
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.
I
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