1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Owner's Manuals

The lap belt should be worn as low on
the hips as possible. 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. It’s
possible that an automatic belt
could keep you from fully opening a
door. That can happen
if the door was
slammed shut very hard. Just close the
door
all the way, then slowly open it. If
that doesn’t fix it, then your Oldsmobile
needs service.
We hope you will always keep your
automatic belt buclded. However, you
may need to unbuckle it
in an
emergency.
And you would need to unbuckle it to
let someone
get into the center front
seat position, if your vehicle has one.
To Unbuckle the Automatic Belt:
Just push the button on the buckle.
23

Seats & Safety Belts
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
(CONT.)
To Reattach the Automatic Belt:
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see the
Index under Seat Controls) so you
can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’t let it get
twisted.
until it clicks.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
won’t give nearly as much protection
this way.
’I I A You can be seriously hurt if
- your shoulder belt is too loose.
In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could significantly
increase injury. The shoulder belt
should fit against your body.
24
place.
CAUTION
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 be
there, not at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest you.
I

I
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.
I

Seats & Safety Belts
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt
works the same way as the driver’s
safety belt.
See the
Index under Driver Position.
Adjust the seat (to see how, see the
Index under Seat ControZs) so you can
sit up straight. Move your seat far
enough forward that your feet touch the
part of the vehicle that
is called the
“toeboard”
(A). That way you’d be less
likely to slide under the lap belt
in a
crash.
Center Passenger Position
If your vehicle has a bench seat,
someone can sit in the center position.
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 the
Index under Safety Belt Extender.
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.
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.
27

Seats & Safety Belts
28
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
The positions next to the windows have
lap-shoulder belts.
Here’s How to Wear One Properly:
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across
you. Don’t let it get
twisted.
until it clicks.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle 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 the
Index under Safety Belt Extender.
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.

Seats & Safety Belts
30
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
(CONT.)
To unlatch the belt, just push the
button on the buckle.
Smaller Children and Babies
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.
I CAUTION
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.