PONTIAC PONTIAC 1996 User Guide

4-Door Models
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion mi be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, yuur 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.
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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.
Seatback Latches (2-Door Models)
The front seat 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 in place.
If your vehicle is parked going down
a fairly steep hill,
the seatback may not fold without some help from you.
To fold the locked seatback forward, push the seatback
8
toward the rear as you lift this latch. Then the seatback
will fold forward. The latch must be down for the seat to
work properly.
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.
A CAUTION:
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.
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Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the
Index.)
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 mild, 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!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Tike the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat
on wheels.
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Put someone on it.
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't
stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel . . .
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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.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident
if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A3 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.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
At 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.
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@ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
home, why should I wear safety belts? vehicle has.
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 driver
doesn’t protect you
fiom 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 1- . -, .. - .. .- * :.I, (65 km/h). ,.: -. .. -8 , ,. . 6 ‘F:, - ,. . .I_ Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people o’f 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 manud called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s protection. We’ll start with the driver position,
Driver Position (2-Door Models)
This part describes the driver’s restraint system. If you
have a four-door model, see “Driver Position
(4-Door
Models)” later i.n this. section.
Lap-Shoulder Belt (2-Door Models)
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.
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1
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.
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.
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Q: What's wrong with this?
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.
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?
.. . . .
'1- .. '.' ,. .. :. 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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