PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1998 Owner's 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. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
On convertible models, 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt
the latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle
the belt.
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.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
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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.
On convertible models, the safety belt also locks if you
pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
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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.
‘ A CAUTION:
P -
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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Q.' What's wrong with this?
.
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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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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.
I
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&.' What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
I
' A CAUTION:
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.
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.
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.
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
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way
as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position”
earlier in this section.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your vehicle has “Next Generation” reduced-force
frontal
air bags -- one air bag for the driver and another
air bag for the right front passenger.
Reduced-force frontal
air bags are designed to help
reduce the risk of injury from
the force of an inflating
air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly if they are to do their job and comply with
federal regulations. Here
are the most important things
to know about the air
bag system:
r
I A CAUTION: -
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce
your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it.
Air
bags are “supplemental restraints’’ to the
safety belts. All air bags -- even reduced-force
air bags
-- are designed to work with safety belts,
but don’t replace them. Air
bags are designed to
work only in moderate
to severe crashes where
the front of your vehicle hits something. They
aren’t designed to inflate at all in rollover, rear,
side or low-speed frontal crashes. And, for
unrestrained occupants, reduced-force air bags
may provide less protection in frontal crashes
than more forceful air
bags have provided in the
past. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an
air
bag for that person.
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I /d CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
of an eye. If’ you’re too close to an inflating
air bag, it could seriously injure you. This is true
even with reduced-force frontal air bags. Safety
belts help keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
reduced-force
air bags. The driver should sit as
far back as possible while still maintaining
control
of the vehicle.
/I CAUTION:
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 though 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
CAUTION: (Continued)
II
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.
AIR
BAG
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument
panel, which
shows AIR BAG.
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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