belt OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 1997 Owner's Guide

I Center Seat Position Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
Oon’t use child restraints in these positions. The
restraints won’t work properly. You’ll
be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap
if the child restraint has one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions
of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
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4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it
is secure. Adjust the bucket
seat forward until the
lap portion of the safety belt
holds the restraint firmly. But don’t move
it any
more than needed to tighten the lap belt.
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.
6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the
retractor while you
push down on the child restraint.
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Larger Children Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window
so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide. safety
belts properly.
0 Children who aren’t buckled
a crash.
0 Children who aren’t buckled
people who
are.
up can be thrown out in
up can strike other
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Never do this. Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces. In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
Q:
A:
What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child
is so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child’s face or neck?
Move the child toward
the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt
still is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
If the
child is sitting
in a rear seat outside position, see
“Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides”
in the Index. If
the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child
in a seat that has a lap belt,
if your vehicle has one.
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A CAUTION:
I
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt’s force would then be applied right on the
child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force
to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
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Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But
if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
retailer will order you an extender. It’s free. When you
go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. The extender
will be just for you, and just for the seat
in your vehicle
that you choose. Don’t let someone else use
it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and
all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose
or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep
a safety belt system from
doing its job, have
it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you
in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt is
torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
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Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts?
After
a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But
if the belts were stretched, as they wo~~ld be if worn
during a more severe crash, then
you need new belts.
injury. buckle assembly
must be replaced.
See Owner’s Manual
Pour aider
?I &iter les
blessures corporelles. la
boucle doit &re remplac6e.
Printed in
U.S.A. Voir le Gutde du conducteur.
CAUTION ATTENTION 1
If you ever see a label on the driver’s safety belt buckle
that says to replace the buckle assembly, be sure to do
so. Then the new buckle assernbly will be there to help
protect you
in a collision.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision
damage also may mean
you will need to have safety belt
or seat parts repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs
may be necessary even
if the belt wasn’t being used at
the time of the collision.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag
system parts. See the part
on the air bag system earlier in
this section.
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1 Door Locks
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When a door
is
locked, the inside handle won’t open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be
so obvious: You increase the
chance
of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash if the doors aren’t locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you will be
far
better off whenever you drive your vehicle.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
You can use your key to unlock your door from
the outside.
To lock your door from the inside, slide the lever on
your inside door rearward.
To unlock the door, slide the
lever
on your inside door
forward.
You will see a red
area on the lever.
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Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be
on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before
it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could
also save you or
others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is
a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you
will see
in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come
on briefly when you start the
engine just to let you
know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or
is a problem
with one
of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages and
warning lights work together
to let you know when
there’s a problem
with your vehicle.
When one
of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving,
or when one of the gages shows
there [nay be
a problem, check the section that tells you what
to do about
it. Please follow this manual’s advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly
-- and even
dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights
and gages. They’re a big help.
Your vehicle also has
a driver information system that
works along
with the warning lights and gages. See
“Driver Information System”
in the Index.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a tone will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt
light will
also come on and stay on
for about
20 seconds, then it
will flash for about
55
seconds. If the driver’s belt
is already buckled, neither
the tone nor the light will
come on.
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