PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 2003 Owner's Manual

Q: What’s wrong with this?
You can be seriously hurt
i our 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.
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
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Q: What's wrong with this?
II
rz
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.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
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.
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
I I I I I J
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of
the belt to spread impact forces.
If a belt is
twisted, make it straight
so it can work
properly, or ask your dealer to
fix it.
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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured
if they don’t wear safety belts.
Before
you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way.
If you slam the door on it, you can damage
both the belt and your vehicle.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible,
below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
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The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be hurt
in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety
belt properly, see
Driver Position on page 1-72.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt-except for one thing.
If you ever pull the lap portion of the belt out all the way,
you will engage the child restraint locking feature.
If
this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and
start again.
If your vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure
to use the correct buckle when buckling your lap
shoulder belt.
If you find that the latch plate will not go
fully into the buckle, see
if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
Center Front Passenger Position
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Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone can sit
in the center position.
When you sit in the center front 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
Safety Belt Extender on page 1-26.
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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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.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here’s
how to wear one properly.
U
1. 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 quickiy. if this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
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2. 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
it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt
Extender on page
1-26.
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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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,
or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt
is too IQQS~. 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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