Oldsmobile Alero 2003 s User Guide

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving. Sitting
in a
reclined position when your vehic
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do
its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front
of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do it’s job either. In
a crash
the belt could go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is
in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety belt
properly.
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Head Restraints Seatback Latches
For two-door model vehicles, the front seatbacks fold
forward to let people get into the back seat. The
seatback latch is designed for one-handed operation.
To fold a front seatback forward, lift the seatback
latch fully without pushing forward on the seatback to
unlock it. Then the seatback will fold forward.
1 Push the seatback to its original position, and the
seatback will lock.
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward
in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to
be sure it is
locked.
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Easy Entry Seat
For two-door model vehicles, the right front seat of your
vehicle makes it easy for people to get in and out of
the rear seat.
1. Fold the right front seatback forward by lifting the
2. The seat will slide forward to allow someone to get
seatback latch fully.
into the rear seat area.
3. Push the seatback upright to lock it and slide the
seat fully rearward to lock it.
4. Adjust the seat to the desired position.
5. The front passenger should try to move the seat to
make
sllrc’! the seat is Inckeri intn place.
If the easy try right frc
can move. In a sudden stop or crash, the
person sitting there could be injured. After
you’ve used it, be sure to push rearward on an
easy entry seat
to be sure it is locked.
Power Lift Seat
If your vehicle has this feature, to move the power lift
seat forward or rearward, pull
up on the lever located
under the front of the driver’s seat to unlock
it. Slide the
seat to where you want it and release the lever. Try
to move the seat with your body to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
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Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Folding the Seatback
If your vehicle has this feature, do the following:
1. Pull the release straps
located in the trunk. The
right strap operates
the passenger’s side rear
split seat. The left
strap operates the
driver’s side rear
split seat. To
raise the seatback, push the seatback up to return it
to its original position.
Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is latched
securely
in the fully upright position.
2. Fold the seatback down from the inside of the
vehicle.
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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t
wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle
or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
fastened properly too.
2!?d check fhll p.!1 p2ssenCJerr’ he!fs arc?
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle.
In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed.
Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that
is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle
is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
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Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page
3-26.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something. In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...
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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
y01-1 cpt mnre time tn stop Yo11 stop over more distance:
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
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 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: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
system ever offered for sale has required 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,
saieiy beiis - rlui ir-lsieaii UI LII~ITI. CVCI y all uay C&I-- r -:..I---
but especia!!y in side and other co!lMQnsl
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