Page 15 of 324

@ Part 1 Seats and Safety Belts
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your Buick. your Supplemental Inflatable Restraint/Supplemental
Restraint System (“air bag”) system and how to use your safety belts properly
. You can also learn about some things
you should
not do with safety belts .
Part 1 includes:
SeatsandSeatControls
............................................................. 14
HeadRestraints
................................................................... 17
Why Safety Belts Work
............................................................. 19
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................................................... 24
Adults
........................................................................\
... 24
DriverPosition
.................................................................... 25
Lap-ShoulderBelt
................................................................. 25
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint System
............................................... 33
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
..................................................... 37
PassengerPositions
................................................................ 38
Children
........................................................................\
. 41
Smaller Children and Babies ......................................................... 42
ChildRestraints
................................................................... 43
LargerChildren
................................................................... 52
SafetyBeltExtender
................................................................ 55
Checking Your Restraint System ...................................................... 55
Safety
Belts
. They’re for Everyone ................................................... 17
Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts
.......................................... 23
Replacing Safety Belts After a Crash
................................................... 55
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Child Restraints
4
I
Be sure to follow the instructions for the restraint. You
may find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal injury.
The instructions
that come with the infant or child
restraint will show you how to do that.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint
in the rear seat unless the child is an
infant and you’re the only adult in the vehicle. In that
case, you might
want to secure the restraint in the front
seat where you can keep an eye on the baby.
Wherever you install it, be sure
to secure the child
restraint properly.
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A CAUTION:
An unsecured child restraint can move around in
a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child restraint in your vehicle
-- even when no child is
in
it.
Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored.
If you need to have an anchor installed,
you can ask
your Buick dealer to put it in for you. If you want to
install an anchor yourself, your dealer can tell you how
to do it.
Vehicles first sold in Canada have child restraint anchor
bracket hardware in the glove
box, along with
instructions for installing it. This should be used only
with a child restraint, and only to secure a child restraint
at the center rear seating position. Additional anchor
brackets for child restraints at one or both of the rear
outside seating positions are available at Buick
dealerships
in Canada.
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Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Position See if the shoulder belt would go in front of the
child’s face or neck. If
so, put it behind the child
restraint.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
section about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
3. Pull out the vehicle’s safety belt and run the lap part
through or around the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
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Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Seat
Position
When you secure a child restraint in a center seating
position, you'll be using the lap belt.
See the earlier section about the top strap if the child
restraint has one.
1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
r Ip 1 I
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
section about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions
say.
3. Pull out the vehicle’s safety belt and run the lap part
through or around the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show
you how.
See
if the shoulder belt would go in front of the
child’s face
or neck. If so, put it behind the child
restraint.
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Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
Children who aren't buckled up can be thrown out in
a crash.
Children who aren't buckled up can strike other
people
who are.
I Never do this.
g the same belt. The
belt can't 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.
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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: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
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
so small that the shoulder belt is still very
close to the child's
face or neck, you might want to
place the child in the center seat position, the one
that has only a lap belt.
A CAUTION:
Never do this.
I"
I
I Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lapshoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind
the child. If the child wears the beltin this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt's force would then
be applied right on the
-Lsld's abdomen. That dould cause serious or
I laral injuries. 0 0
54