ECU Oldsmobile Aurora 1998 Owner's Manuals

YUII up on tne latcn plate to maKe sure It 1s secure. IT
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.
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 crash.
Shoulder Belt Tightness Adjustment
Your car has a shoulder belt tightness adjustment
feature. If the shoulder belt seems too tight, adjust it
before you begin to drive.
I. Sit well back in the sear.
2. Start pulling the shoulder belt out.
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- -
A CAU LON:.
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag, it could seriously injure
yon. This is true
even with reduced-force frontal air bags. Safety
belts help keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
reduced-force air bags. The driver should sit as
far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
A CAUTT3N:
I
Children who are up against, or very close to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This
is true even though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for adults, but not for young children and infants.
CAUTION: (Continued) Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air
bag system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that
a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle.
To read how,
see the part of this manual called “Children” and
see the caution labels on the sunvisors and the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
There
is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
AIR BAG shows AIR BAG.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells
you if there is an electrical
problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index
for more information.
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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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt
as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
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
TTTi3N:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults, but not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air
bag system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle.
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A -AUTION:
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.
Infants need complete support, including support for
the head and neck. This is necessary because an infant’s
neck is weak and its head weighs
so much compared
with the rest of its body.
In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing restraint settles
into the restraint, so the
crash forces can be distributed across the strongest part
of the infaIit’s body, the back
and shoulders. A baby
should be secured in an appropriate infant restraint.
This is so important that many hospitals today won’t
release a newborn infant to its parents unless there
is an
infant restraint available for the baby’s first trip in a
motor vehicle.
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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
I
CAUTION: (Continued) at
only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become
a 2404b. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby
in an infant restraint.
I
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A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear-facing infant
restraints are designed for infants of
up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type
of restraint faces the rear
so that the infant's head,
neck and body can have the support they need in
a
crash. Some infant seats come in two parts -- the
base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part
is removable.
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When choosing a child restraint, 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. Both the owner’s
manual and
the child restraint instructions are important,
so if either one of these is not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
Where to Put the Restraint
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 the rear seat.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
A CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates, even though your vehicle has
reduced-force frontal air bags. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating air bag. Always
secure a rear-facing child restraint in
a rear seat.
You may secure
a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, but before you do, always
move the front passenger seat as
far back as it
will go. It’s better to secure the child restraint in
the rear seat.
Wherever you install
it, be sure to secure the child
restraint 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.

Top Strap If your child restraint has a top strap, your retailer can
obtain
a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions specifically designed for this vehicle. The
retailer can then install the anchor for you. In Canada,
this work will be done
for you free of charge. Or, you
may install the anchor yourself using the instructions
provided in the
kit.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored.
If you need to have an anchor installed, you
can
ask your Aurora retailer to put it in for you. If you
want to install
an anchor yourself, your retailer can tell
you how
to do it.
Canadian law requires that child restraints have a top
strap, and that the strap be anchored. You’ll
be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
part about the top strap
if the child restraint has one. Be
sure to follow the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and
as
the instructions say.
1. Put the restraint on the seat.
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5. To tighten the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt while
you push down on the child restraint. If you're using
a forward-facing child restraint, you may find it
helpful to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions
to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt and let it
go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely
again and be ready to work for an adult
or larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Rear Seat Position
You'll be using the lap belt. Be sure to follow the
instructions that came with the child restraint. Secure
the child in the child restraint when and as the
instructions say.
See the earlier
part about the top strap if the child
restraint has one.
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