Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1993 s Owner's Guide

4. Put someone on. it.
7. or the instrument panel . . .
5. Get it up to speed. Then stop the
"car." The rider doesn't stop.
6. The person keeps going until
stopped by something.
In a real
vehicle, it could be the
windshield
. . .
With safety belts, you slow down as the
vehicle does.
You get more time to stop.
You stop over more distance, and your
strongest bones take the forces. That's
why safety belts make such good sense.
8. or the safety belts!
19

Seats & Safety Belts
20
Here Are Questions Many People
Ask Abouf Safety Belfs-
and fhe Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle
after an accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
wearing a safety belt or not. But you
can easily 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.
A You could be-whether you’re
Q: Why don’t they just put in air bags
so people won’t have to wear safety
belts?
Inflatable Restraint systems, are in
some vehicles today and will be in
more of them in the future. But they
are supplemental systems only-so
they work
with safety belts, not
instead of them. Every “air bag”
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, but
especially in side and other
collisions.
A: “Air bags,” or Supplemental
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never
drive far from home, why should I
wear safety belts?
A You may be an excellent driver, but if
you’re in an accident-ven one that
isn’t your fault-you and your
passengers can be hurt. Being
a good
driver doesn’t protect you from
things beyond your control, such as
bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25
miles (40 lun) of home. And the
greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds
of less
than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.

A
There are special things to
know about safety belts and
children. And there are different
rules for babies, and smaller
children. If a child will be riding in
your Oldsmobile, see the
Index
under Children. Follow those rules
for everyone’s protection.

Seats & Safety Belts
22
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s
restraint system.
Automatic LapShoulder Belt
This safety belt is called “automatic”
because
you don’t have to^ buckle up
whenyou get into your vehicle.
And you don’t have to unbuckle when
you get out.
Just get into your vehicle. Then close
and rock the door. Adjust the seat (to
see how, see the Index under Seat
Cuntrok) so you can sit up straight.

The lap belt should be worn as low on
the hips as possible. 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. It’s
possible that an automatic belt
could keep you from fully opening a
door. That can happen
if the door was
slammed shut very hard. Just close the
door
all the way, then slowly open it. If
that doesn’t fix it, then your Oldsmobile
needs service.
We hope you will always keep your
automatic belt buclded. However, you
may need to unbuckle it
in an
emergency.
And you would need to unbuckle it to
let someone
get into the center front
seat position, if your vehicle has one.
To Unbuckle the Automatic Belt:
Just push the button on the buckle.
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Seats & Safety Belts
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
(CONT.)
To Reattach the Automatic Belt:
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see the
Index under Seat Controls) so you
can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’t let it get
twisted.
until it clicks.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
won’t give nearly as much protection
this way.
’I I A You can be seriously hurt if
- your shoulder belt is too loose.
In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could significantly
increase injury. The shoulder belt
should fit against your body.
24
place.
CAUTION
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.
I

I
You can be seriously injured
by a twisted belt.
In a crash,
you wouldn’t have
the full width of
the belt to take impact forces. If a
belt is twisted, make it straight
so it
can work properly, or ask your
dealer to fix
it.
I

Seats & Safety Belts
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt
works the same way as the driver’s
safety belt.
See the
Index under Driver Position.
Adjust the seat (to see how, see the
Index under Seat ControZs) so you can
sit up straight. Move your seat far
enough forward that your feet touch the
part of the vehicle that
is called the
“toeboard”
(A). That way you’d be less
likely to slide under the lap belt
in a
crash.
Center Passenger Position
If your vehicle has a bench seat,
someone can sit in the center position.
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.
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 the
Index under Safety Belt Extender.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle faces upward or outward
so you
would be able to unbuckle it 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.
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Seats & Safety Belts
28
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
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.
until it clicks.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle If
the belt stops before it reaches the
buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling until
you can buckle it.
If the belt is not long enough, see the
Index under Safety Belt Extender.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle faces upward or outward
so you
would be able to unbuckle it quickly if
you ever had to.