1993 CHEVROLET TRACKER Owners Manual

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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5. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end of the belt as you
pull up
on the shoulder belt. 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 crash or if you pull
the belt very
quickly out of
the retractor.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
won’t give nearly as much
protection this way.
GAU I IUN
lA
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
I should fit against your body.
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Seats & Safety Belts
I 1
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
I You can be seriously injured
if your belt is buckled in the
wrong place like this.
In a crash,
the belt would go up over your
abdomen. The belt forces would bc
there, not at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest
you.
r
1
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the
arm.
It should be worn over the
shoulder at all times. P
You can be seriously injured
b 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.
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2: What’s wrong with this?
\: The belt is twisted across the body.
A
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 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.
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.
I
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.
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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Seats & Safety Belts
Passenger Positions
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 shoulder belt is pulled out all
the way, it will lock. If it does, let it go
back all the way and start again.
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.
... 28
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The rear seats have lap-shoulder belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull it
across you. Don’t let it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
When the shoulder 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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on
the buckle end of the belt as you
pull up on the shoulder part.
1
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 only
if there’s a
sudden stop or a crash, or
if you pull it
very quickly out of the retractor.
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Seats & Safety Belts
4 You can be seriously hurt if
loose. In a crash you would move
forward
too much, which could
increase injury.
The shoulder belt
should fit against your body.
- your shoulder belt is too
To unlatch the belt, just push the button
on the buckle.
Children
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.
Smaller Children and Babies
A
Smaller children and babies
should always 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
child’s abdomen.
In a crash the
belt would apply 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 properly
restrained in a child
or infant
restraint.
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