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Seats & Safety Belts
2. Pull the knobs on both sides of the
seatback.
If you have the split rear seat, you
can fold half
of the seat by pulling
only the knob
on the side you wish to
fold.
... 16
3. Fold the seatback down.
-
4. Unlock the bottom part of the seat:
On the one-piece rear seat, pull
out the release ring.
On the split rear seat, lift the
release lever on either seat.
5. Lift the bottom of the seat up and
push
it toward the front of the
vehicle.
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I
, -.. .
6. Find the support bar on the bottom o
the seat. This bar keeps the rear seat
from unfolding.
7. Pull the inner end of the support off
of the seat bracket and swing
it
down.
8. Push the support bar into the floor
bracket. Be sure the support bar
is
secured,
To unfold the rear seats:
Keep your hands, safety belts and other
objects away from where the seat
will
rest.
1. Pull the support bar out of the floor
bracket and swing it up and toward
the bottom of the seat.
2. Push the support bar into the bracket
on the bottom of the seat.
3. Slowly pull the seat down to the
floor. The seat should latch into
place. Pull up
on the bottom of the
seat to be sure it is locked in
position.
17-99
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Seats & Safety Belts
4. Pull the seatback up and push it back
to lock it into place.
5. Push and pull the top of the seatback
to be sure
the seatback is locked in
position.
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.
~~~ ~
A
Don’t let anyone ride where
they can’t wear a safety belt
properly. If 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
fastened properly too.
... 18
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I
This figure lights up when you turn the
key to
ON 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 even if you’re not
buckled up. And some crashes can be
sa
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!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you
go as fast as it goes.
For example, if the bike is going
10 mph (16 km/h), so is the child.
U
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Seats & Safety Belts
When the bike hits the block, it stops.
But the child keeps going!
A
Take the simplest “car.” Suppose it’s
just a seat on wheels.
1
A
Put someone on it.
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Seats & Safety Belts
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.
rn Here Are Questions
Many People
Ask about
Safety Belts - and the
Answers
Q:
A:
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle
after an accident if
I’m wearing a
safety belt?
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?
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
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.
A: “Air bags, ” or Supplemental
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Q: 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 km/h).
Safety belts are
for everyone.
Safety Belt Reminder
Light
When the key is turned to ON or
START, a light will come on for about
eight seconds to remind people to fasten
their safety belts. Unless the driver’s
safety belt is buckled, a chime
will also
sound,
H How to Wear Safety
Belts Properly
Adults
This section is only for people of adult
size.
There are special things to
know about safety belts and
children. And there are different
rules €or babies and smaller
children. If a child will be riding
in your Geo, see the section after
this one, called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s
protection.
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Seats & Safety Belts
I
9.924
First, you’ll want to know which
restraint systems your vehicle has.
We’ll start
with the driver position.
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s
restraint system.
1
Lap-Shoulder Belt
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.
Y
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across
you. Don’t let it get
twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
If
the belt isn’t long enough, see
“Safety Belt Extender” at the end
of
this part. 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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