PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1995 User Guide

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Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide
an adjustable 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.
Front Seatback Latches (2 Door Models)
The front seatback folds
forward
to let people get
into the back seat.
Your
seatback will move back
and forth freely, unless you
come to a sudden stop. Then
it will lock into place.
There’s one time the front seats may not fold without ‘
some help from you. That’s if your vehicle is parked
going down a fairly steep hill.
To fold a front seatback forward, push the seatbgck
toward the rear seat as you lift this latch. Then the
seatback will fold forward. The latch must be dswn for
the seat to work properly.
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Easy-Entry Seat (2 Door Models)
The right front seat of your vehicle makes it easy to get
in and out of the rear seat.
When you tilt the right front seatback fully forward,
After someone gets into the rear seat area, move the
right front seatback to its original position. Then
move the seat rearward until it locks.
the whole seat will slide forward.
To get out again, tilt the seatback fully forward.
Split Fold-Down Rear Seat (Option)
To open, pull forward on the seat tab.
To close, push the seatback up to its original position.
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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, or
“air bag” system.
Your car has a light
that comes on
as a
reminder to buckle
up.
(See “Safety Belt
Warning Light” in the
Index.)
In many 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 mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t.kvive.
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 anything, you go as fast as it
goes.
Put someone on it.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
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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?
A: 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.
Why don’t they just put in air bags so people
won’t have to wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many 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.
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A: 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 dhver
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 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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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.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Was your Pontiac first sold, when new, in Canada? (If it
was, a sticker on the driver’s door will say “conforms to
all applicable Canada motor vehicle
. . . ” etc.) If so,
then this “Driver Position” part doesn’t apply to your
vehicle. To learn how to use your driver position safety
belts, read the
Canadian Owner’s Manual Safety Belt
Supplement.
It comes with every new Pontiac first sold
in Canada.
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
This safety belt is called “automatic” because you don’t
have to buckle
up when you get into your vehicle.
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And you don’t have to unbuckle when you get out.
Just get into your vehicle. Then close and lock the door.
Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats’’ in the Index)
so
you can sit up straight.
The lap belt should be worn as low on the hips as
possible. 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.
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