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@ What’s wrong with this?
I I I
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
j /r CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In I
a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of the
belt to take impact forces.
If a belt is twisted,
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..
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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.
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.
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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. 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.
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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.
I. 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.
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C
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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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.
1 A CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is I
too loose. In a crash you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
L
a To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the
buckle.
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Children Smaller Children and Babies
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. In fact,
the law in every state and Canadian province
says
children up to some age must be restrained while in a
vehicle.
iAu I ION:
Smaller children and babies should al--Jys be
restrained in a child
or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
the right type and size for your child.
A very
young child’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
I
child’s abdomen. In a crash the belt would appl)
force right on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or
fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always
araaerlv restrained in a child or infant restrail I
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Child Restraints
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.
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 resfraint in your vehicle
-- even when no child is
I in
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