ECU OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE 1998 Owners Manual

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there
are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies.
If a child will
be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this
manual called “Children.” Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems
your vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to
wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3.
4.
Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly.
If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock
it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end
of this section.
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/I CAU’JON:
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
if 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. 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
shows an
air bag symbol.
I I
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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2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it
is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it
will lock.
If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
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 Smaller
Children and Babies
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.
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 if 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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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 infant’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:
1
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
CAUTION: (Continued) at
only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
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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 child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates, even if 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
a 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.
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Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored. If
you need to have an anchor installed, you
can ask your Oldsmobile 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. 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
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, feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor 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
U
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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