PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 1996 User Guide

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
I
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even
if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In
a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck
or other injuries.
The
lap belt can’t do its job either. ‘In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not
at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is
in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back
in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint
is closest to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
On some models, the head restraints tilt forward
and
rearward also.
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Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety, belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag system
I-
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety Belt
Reminder Light” in the
Index.)
Don’t let anyone ride where he
or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be
if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
In most. states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, .you don’t know if
it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are rnild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are
in between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away.
Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anythmg, you go as fast as it
goes.
c
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose.it’s just a seat on
wheels. Put someone
on it.
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Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop. The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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or the instrument panel ... or the safety 'belts!
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.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident
if I’m wearing a safety belt?
You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can 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.
e.’ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most 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.
wear safety belts?
Q=
A:
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
You may be an excellent driver, but 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
Safety belts
are for everyone.
(65 km/h).
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
Pontiac, 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.
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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. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
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.
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.
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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 crash.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that is right for you.
To move it down, squeeze the release handle and move
the height adjuster to the desired position. You
can move
the adjuster
up just by pushing up on the bottom of the
release handle. After you move the adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down without squeezing the
release handle
to make sure it has locked into position.
Adjust the height
so that the shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away fkom
your face and neck, but not falling off your shailder.
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@ What's wrong with this?
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
shoulder
belt should fit against your body.
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&: What’s wrong with this?
I I I I I I I I I
A 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.
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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