SATURN RELAY 2007 Workshop Manual

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 is a sudden stop or a
crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of
the retractor.
{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 against your body.To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
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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 second row passenger
position. If your vehicle has a third row, there is
one guide for each outboard position. Here is how
to install a comfort guide to the shoulder belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage pocket on
the side of the seatback.
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2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the
two edges of the belt into the slots of the
guide.3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies
at. The elastic cord must be under the belt
and the guide on top.
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{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn
may not provide the protection needed in
a crash. The person wearing the belt
could be seriously injured. 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.
4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt
as described inRear Seat Passengers on
page 49. Make sure that the shoulder
belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze
the belt edges together so that you can take
them out of the guide. Slide the guide into the
storage pocket.
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are located on the retractor
part of the safety belts. They help the safety
belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a
moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and
probably other new parts for your safety belt
system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 102.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your retailer
will order you an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. To
help avoid personal injury, do not let someone else
use it, and use it only for the seat it is made to
t. The extender has been designed for adults.
Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it,
just attach it to the regular safety belt. For
more information, see the instruction sheet that
comes with the extender.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety
belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional
restraint a shoulder belt can provide. The
shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below
the hips, just touching the top of the thighs. It
should never be worn over the abdomen,
which could cause severe or even fatal internal
injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can
strike other people who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only one
person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a
window, move the child toward the center of
the vehicle. If the child is sitting in a center
rear seat position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure
that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s
shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s upper
body would have the restraint that belts
provide. If the child is sitting in a rear outboard
position, seeRear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides on page 52.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the
belt in this way, in a crash the child might
slide under the belt. The belt’s force
would then be applied right on the child’s
abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just
touching the child’s thighs. This applies belt force
to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash.
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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This
includes infants and all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and size of the
traveler changes the need, for everyone, to use
safety restraints. In fact, the law in every state
in the United States and in every Canadian
province says children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the safety belt
continues to tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have the protection provided
by appropriate restraints. Young children should
not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone,
unless there is no other choice. Instead, they need
to use a child restraint.
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{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their
arms while riding in a vehicle. A baby
does not weigh much — until a crash.
During a crash a baby will become so
heavy it is not possible to hold it. For
example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby will
suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force
on a person’s arms. A baby should be
secured in an appropriate restraint.
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