1993 BUICK LESABRE belt

/11 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 aren’t as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
I
What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn't 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 to fix
it.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle,
The belt should go back out of the way.
1
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way.
If you slam the door on it, you can damage both
the belt and your vehicle.
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Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
System/Supplemental Restraint System (Air
Bag)
This section explains the driver’s Supplemental
Inflatable Restraint (SIR)/Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) system, commonly referred to
as an air
bag. Here are the most important things to
know:
Even with an aSr bag, if you’re not wearing a
safety belt and you’re [in a crash, your injuries
may be much worse.
Air bags are not designed
to inflate in rollovers or in rear, side or low-speed
I frontal crashes. You need to wear your safety
belt to reduce the chance of hitting
things inside
the vehicle or being ejected from it. Always wear I
your safety belt, even with an air bag. ,I 1
I .,I.
I A CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air
bag, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position for an air bag inflation
in a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with an air bag, and sit as far back as you can
while
still maintaining control of your vehicle.
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows “INFL REST” or “INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT.” The system checks itself and the light
tells you
if there is a problem.
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threshold level. When impacting straight into a wall that
does
not move or deform, the threshold level for most
GM vehicles is between 9 and 14 mph. However, this
velocity threshold depends
on the vehicle design and
may be several miles-per-hour faster or slower.
In
addition, this threshold velocity will be considerably
higher if the vehicle strikes an object such as a parked
car which will move and deform on impact. The air bag
is also not designed to inflate in rollovers, side impacts,
or rear impacts where the inflation would provide
no
occupant protection benefit.
In any particular crash, the determination of whether the
air bag should have inflated cannot be based solely
on
the level of damage on the vehicle(s). Inflation is
determined by the angle of the impact and the vehicle’s
deceleration,
of which vehicle damage is only one
indication. Repair cost is not a good indicator of
whether an air bag should have deployed.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, sensors
strategically located on the vehicle detect that the
vehicle is suddenly stopping as a result of
a crash. These
sensors complete an electrical circuit, triggering a
chemical reaction of the sodium azide sealed in the
inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which
inflates the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth bag, and related hardware
are all part
of the air bag inflator module
packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not
provide protection in many types
of collisions, including
rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags
should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to
severe frontal and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly
deflate. This occurs
so quickly that some people may
not even realize that the air bag inflated. The air bag will
not impede the driver’s vision or ability to steer the
vehicle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting the
vehicle. There will be small amounts
of smoke coming
from vents in the deflated air bag. Some components
of
the air bag module in the steering wheel hub may be hot
for a short time, but the portion
of the bag that comes
into contact with you will
not be hot to the touch. The
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Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape, or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air bag
system.
But if the ignition has to be on for electrical work, or if
the steering column is to be disassembled, the air bag
system must be disconnected.
To do this:
Turn off the ignition.
Remove the SIR/SRS (air bag) fuse (see “Fuses and
Circuit Breakers” in the Index).
Disconnect the yellow connector at the base of the
When the work is complete, if the air bag system was
disconnected, be sure to reattach everything and replace
the fuse before turning the ignition on. When you
turn
the ignition key on, be sure you see the air bag readiness
light on the instrument panel. If
you don’t see this light
flash and then go out as usual, have your air bag system
repaired. steering
column.
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they don’t wear safety belts. A
pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn
as low as possible
throughout the pregnancy.
7
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When
a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be
hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
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Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier in this part.
When the lap portion
of the belt is pulled out all the
way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
Be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your
lap-shoulder belt. If you find that the latch plate will not
go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
Center Passenger Position
n
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When you sit in a center seating position, you have a lap
safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.
I
11
A
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder
belt. 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 faces upward
or outward
so you would be able to unbuckle it quickly
if you ever had to.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike others
in
the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how
to wear one properly.
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1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t
let it
get twisted.
When the lap belt is pulled
out all the way, it will
lock. If
it does, let it go back all the way and start
again. If the belt
is not long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section. Make sure the
release button on the buckle faces upward or
outward
so you would be able to unbuckle it 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 a crash.
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