OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1997 Owner's Manual

5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt
as you pull up on the shoulder belt. 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 be.lt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or a crash.
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What's wrong with this?
I 1
J
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won't give nearly
as much protection this way.
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
---1 shoulder belt should fit against your body.
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What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
c
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. This could cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into the buckle
nearest you.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
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A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It sl~ould
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 or spleen.
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Q: What's wrong with this'!
I
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you 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 retailer to fix it.
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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back
out of the way.
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 vehicle.
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) System
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) system or air bag system.
Your Oldsmobile has an air bag for the driver.
Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
You can be severely injured or killed in
a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt
-- even if you
have an air bag. Wearing your safety belt during
a crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air
bags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety
belts.
All air bags are designed to work with
safety belts, but don’t replace them.
Air bags are
CAUTION: (Continued)
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designed to work only in moderate to severe
crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at
all
in rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal
crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear
a
safety belt properly -- whether or not there’s an
air bag for that person.
/i CAUTION:
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 you. Safety belts
help keep you
in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with an
air bag, and sit as far back as you can while still
maintaining control
of your vehicle.
AIR
BAG
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument panel,
which 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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How the Air Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
A CAUTION:
Don’t attach anything to, or put anything
between an occupant and an air bag.
If
something is between the driver and the air bag,
the bag might not inflate properly or it might
force the object into you and cause injury. The
path of an inflating air bag must be kept clear,
so
don’t attach or put anything on or near the
steering wheel hub.
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When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only
if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.’’
If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about
14 to 18 mph (23 to 29 ktdh). The threshold level
can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design, so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that
will move or deform, such
as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate
in rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of
the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain.
As always, wear your safety belt. See “Off-Road
Driving“
in the Index for more tips on off-road driving.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing
system triggers
a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware
are all part of the air bag module inside the
steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements 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 the air bag.
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.
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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
in the
steering wheel hub 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
bag. 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.
I
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 tu do so.
If you have breathing problenls but can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening
a window or door.
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e
e
The air bag is designed to inflate only once. After it
inflates. ~011’11 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 the air bag module and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped
with a diagnostic module,
which 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.
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 retailer
for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the driver’s air bag,
the bag may not work properly.
You may have to
replace the air bag module.
Do not open or break
the air bag cover.
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