seats OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1993 User Guide

Seats & Safety Belts
Here Are Questions Many People
Ask About Satiety Belts-
and the 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?
if you’re in an accident-even 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 km) of home. And the greatest
number of serious injuries and deaths
occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 Wh).
Safety belts are for everyone.
A: You may be an excellent driver, but
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Seats & Safety Belts
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 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
If the belt stops before it reaches the
buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling until you can buckle the 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.
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Seats & Safety Belts
apshoulder Belt (WNX)
2: What’s wrong with this?
\: The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
I
A
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.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is over an armrest.
A
You can be seriously injured if
your belt goes over an armrest
like this. The belt would be much
too high. In
a crash, you can slide
under the belt. The belt force
would then be applied at the
abdomen, not at the pelvic bones,
and that could cause serious or
fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes
under the armrests.
I
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the
arm. It should 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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Seats & Safety Belts
30
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.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear sear
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.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger
Positions
The positions next to the windows have
lap-shoulder belts.
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Seats & Safety Beks
1
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32
Rear Seat Outside Passenger
Positions
(CONT)
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 a crash.
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 shoulder belt
should fit against your body. To
unlatch the belt, just push the button
on the buckle.
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Seats & Safety Belts
34
Center Passenger Position (CONT.)
The center position bucket seat is a
CENTER OR LEFT type seat.
Because it is the
only bucket seat with a
lap belt, and has a buckle on only one
side, there are certain places a
CENTER OR LEFT type bucket seat
should, and should not, be used. See the
Index under Seat Controls.
If the CENTER OR LEFT bucket seat
is used on the left side of the vehicle,
the person sitting there should use the
lap-shoulder belt.
It works the same way
as the driver’s safety belt, See the
Index
under Driver Position.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection!
That includes infants and all children
smaller than adult size. In fact, the law
in every state and Canadian province
says children up to some age must be
restrained while
in a vehicle. Smaller
children and babies
should always be restrained in
a chiId or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint wiU
--y whether it is the right type and
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
*strained
in a chiid or infimt
straint.
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Seats & Safety Belts
36
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
unless the child is
an infant and you're
the only adult in the vehicle. In that
case, you might want to secure the
restraint in the front seat where you can
keep an eye
on the baby.
Wherever you install it, be sure
to
secure the child restraint properly.
CAUTION
A
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 I
vehicle-even when no child is in it.
I
Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it
should be anchored. Anchor brackets for the
second row
outside positions are located just above
the place where the third row lap-
shoulder belts meet the
floor. There's a
vinyl sleeve there; to get to the bracket,
push this vinyl sleeve aside slightly. Anchor the top strap to the bracket.
If you need to have an anchor bracket
installed for
any additional passenger
seat position, you
can ask your
Oldsmobile dealer
to put it in for you. If
you want to install an anchor bracket
yourself, your dealer can tell you how to
do it.
Once you have the top strap anchored,
you'll
be ready to secure the child
restraint itself.
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Seats & Safety Belts
38
L :'
Securing a Child Restraint in an
Outside Position (CONT:)
5. To tighten the belt, pull up on the
shoulder belt while you push down
on the child restraint.
I
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.
I . :" -,.< :1 L ~
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Seat Position
You'll be using the lap belt. See the
earlier section about the top strap
if the
child restraint has
one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow
the instructions for the child
restraint.
as
the instructions say.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint
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Seats & Safety Belts
40
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Seat Position
(CONI)
7. 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 sa.fety 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.
Larger Children
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.
Accident statistics show that children are
safer
if they are restrained in the rear
seat. But they need
to use the safety
belts properly.
Children who aren’t buckled up can be
thrown out
in a crash.
I
. . . .___
X2061
Children who aren’t buckled up can
strike other people who are.
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! 1 Seats & Safety Belts
Safety Belt Extender
[f 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 dealer 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 all your belts,
buckles, latch plates, retractors,
anchorages and reminder systems are
working properly.
Look for any loose
parts or damage.
If you see anything that
might keep a restraint system from
doing its job, have it repaired.
Replacing Safety Belts 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 would be if worn
during a more severe crash, then you
need new belts.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace
them. Collision damage also may mean
you will have to have safety belt parts,
like the retractor, replaced or anchorage
locations repaired-even
if the belt
wasn’t being used at the time of the
collision.
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