1993 BUICK CENTURY Owners Manual

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
Inflatable Restraint, or
“air bag” system.
A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where they can’t wear a
safety belt properly. if you am in a crash and
you’re not wearing a sahty belt, your Injuries
can be muoh wrse. Mu can hlt things Inside
the
vehlcle or be ejected from it. mu can be ,~
Iserloualy Injured or killed. In the -me crash,
you might not be if you am buckled up. Always
fasten your safety belt, and check thmt your
passengers’ belts are fastened properly bo.
This figure lights up when
you
turn the key to “Run”
or “Start” when your safety
belt isn’t buckled, and
you’ll hear a chime, too. It’s
the reminder to buckle up.
In many states and Canadian
provinces, the law
says to
wear safety belts. Here’s
why: They work.
.
1
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.
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A few crashes are very mild. In them, you won't get hurt ' why safety Belts Work
even if you're not buckled up. And some crashes can be
so serious, like being hit by a train, 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 be badly hurt or killed.
After
25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are
clear. In most crashes, buckling
up does matter. . . a lot!
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fhst as it
goes.
For example, if the bike
is going 10 mph (16 Mh), so is
the
child.
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.-
When the bike hits the block, it stops. But the child keeps Take the simplest “car.” Suppose it’s just a seat on
going! wheels.
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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the “car.” 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
@ 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 easily 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
A: ‘Air bags,” or Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
won’t have to wear safety belts?
systems, are in some 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.
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@ 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 driver
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 krn/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
Safety Belt Warning Light
When the key is turned to
“Run” or
“Start:’ a chime
will come on for about
eight seconds to remind
people. to fasten their safety
belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is buckled. The
safety belt light will also
come on and stay on for about
60 seconds or until
the driver’s
belt is buckled. A
i
h
A CAUTION:
I If your safety belt light ever comes on or stays
on after the front doors are closed and the
driver’s belt
is buckled, have your vehicle fixed.
If you don’t, you might not have the protection
you’d need in
a crash.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This section is only for people of adult size.
A CAUTION:
There are special things to know about safety
belts and children.
And there are different
rules for babies and smaller children. If a child
will be riding
in your Buick, see the section
after this one, called “Childrenl’
Follow those I
rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
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Cars First Sold in Canada
Was your Buick first sold, when new, in Canada? (If it
was, a sticker on the driver’s door will say “conforms t\
o all applicable Canada motor vehicle.
. . ” etc.) If so, then
the rest of
part 1 does not apply to your vehicle.
To learn how to use your safety belts, please read the
Owner’s Manual Safety Belt Supplement. It comes
with every new Buick first sold in Canada.
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s restraint system.
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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