seats SATURN ASTRA 2008 User Guide

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the
vehicle. The rider does not 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 is why safety belts make
such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:
Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not. But
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so
youcanunbuckle and get out, is
muchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety
belt, even if you are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why
should I have to wear safety
belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag
is provided, all occupants still
have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in
frontal collisions, but especially in
side and other collisions.
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Q:If I am 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 are in a crash — even
one that is not your fault — you
and your passenger(s) can be
hurt. Being a good driver does not
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.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section 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 infants.
If a child will be riding in the vehicle,
seeOlder Children on page 1-37
orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-38. Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up
can be thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are
wearing safety belts.First, before you or your
passenger(s) wear a safety belt,
there is important information
you should know.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the oor in front of you.
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 would be less
likely to slide under the lap belt.
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If you slid under it, the belt would
apply force on 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 shoulder belt locks if there is a
sudden stop or crash.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose.
It will not give as much
protection this way.
{CAUTION
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 t snugly against
your body.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose.
It will not give nearly as
much protection this way.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously hurt if your
lap belt is too loose. In a crash,
you could slide under the lap
belt and apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
The lap belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs.
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Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
{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 on
the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into
the buckle nearest you.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
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{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
your belt goes over an armrest
like this. The belt would be
much too high. In a crash,
you can slide under the belt.
The belt force would then be
applied on the abdomen, not on
the pelvic bones, and that could
cause serious or fatal injuries.
Be sure the belt goes under the
armrests.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under
the arm. It should be worn over
the shoulder at all times.
{CAUTION
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 are not as strong as
shoulder bones. You could also
severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.
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Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by
not wearing the lap-shoulder
belt properly. In a crash, you
would not be restrained by the
shoulder belt. Your body could
move too far forward increasing
the chance of head and neck
injury. You might also slide
under the lap belt. The belt
force would then be applied
right on the abdomen. That
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt
should go over the shoulder
and across the chest.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
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{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by
a twisted belt. In a crash, you
would not 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/
retailer to x it.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder
belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.2. Pick up the latch plate and pull
the belt across you. Do not let
it get twisted.
The lap-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.
If you ever pull the shoulder
portion of a passenger belt out
all the way, you may engage the
child restraint locking feature.
If this happens, just let the belt go
back all the way and start again.3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, seeSafety
Belt Extender on page 1-22.
Make sure the release button on
the buckle is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if necessary.
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4. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you.
Improper shoulder belt height
adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt
in a crash. See “Shoulder Belt
Height Adjustment” later in this
section.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should go
back out of the way. When the safety
belt is not in use, slide the latch plate
up the safety belt webbing. The latch
plate should rest on the stitching on
the safety belt, near the guide loop
on the side wall.Before you close a door, be sure
the belt is out of the way. If you slam
the door on it, you can damage
both the belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver
and right front passenger position.
Adjust the height so that the
shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on your shoulder. The belt
should be away from the face and
neck, but not falling off the shoulder.
Incorrect positioning of the shoulder
belt can reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt.
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To move it, push the button on the
front of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to
the desired position.
After you move the adjuster to
where you want it, try to move it
down without pushing the button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
The vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for the front outboard
occupants. Although you cannot see
them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They can help tighten the
safety belts during the early stages
of a moderate to severe frontal and
near frontal crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner activation
are met. And, if the vehicle has
side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten
the safety belts in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If
they activate in a crash, you will need
to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for the safety belt system.
SeeReplacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash on page 1-23.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides
may provide added safety belt
comfort for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for some
adults. When installed on a shoulder
belt, the comfort guide positions the
belt away from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each
outboard passenger position in the
rear seat. Here is how to install
a comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from the
side of the seatback to remove
the guide from its storage pocket.
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