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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Seats and Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They’= For Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts pr\
operly. It also tells
you some things
you should not do with safety belts.
I
A Don’t let anyone ride where they can’t wear a safety bel\
t properly. If
- b you are in a crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries\
can be
much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same
crash, you might not be
if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts are faste\
ned
I properly too. I
I
I
AM110001
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.
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.
A few crashes are very mild. In them, you won’t get hurt eve\
n 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 cr\
ashes 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.
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E
I R
AM115003 AM115004
Take the simplest “vehicle.” Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels. Put someone
on it.
I I
Get it up to speed. Then stop the “vehicle.” The rider doesn’\
t stop.
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AM115008
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
Q: 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.
Q: Why don’t they just put in air bags so people won’t have to wear
safety belts?
A: “Air bags,” or Supplemental Inflatable Restraint 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 r\
equired 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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Seats and Safety Belts
How To Wear Safety Belts Prroperiy
Adults
This section is only for people of adult size.
I CAUTION
There are special things to know about safety belts and childr\
en. And
there are different rules for babies and smaller children.
If a child will
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.\
I be riding in your vehicle, see the part after this one, called
st, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has. We’ll start
with the driver position.
Driver Position
U
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
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Page 31 of 345
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Lap-Shoulder Belt I
AN1 20049
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index) so you can sit
up straight.
. .. .
AN120033
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let it get
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. If the belt isn’t long
twisted.
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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L
AM120167
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the \
belt as
you pull up on the shoulder belt.
d
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 serio\
us or even
fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and ac\
ross 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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Q: What’s wrong with this?
P
I I -7
I
8
AM120015
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly as much protection this
way.
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 fit aqainst your body.
AM120058
A: The belt is over an armrest.
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Q: What's wrong with this?
i
i
II
AM125002
I CAUTION
* You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you
-- wouldn't have the full width of the belt to take impact forces. If a
I dealer to fix it. I
belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your
Ib unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. The belt should go
back out of the way.
m
--iu
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