1993 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

...
Seats & Safety Belts
Why Safety Belts Work (CONI)
4. Put someone on it.
7. or the instrument panel.. .
16
5. Get it up to speed. Then stop the
“car.” The rider doesn’t stop.
8. or the safety belts!
6. The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In
a real
vehicle,
it could be the
windshield..
.
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.
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Here Are Questions Many People
Ask About Safety Belts-
and the Answers
Q: Won’t 1 be trapped in the vehicle
after an accident if I’m wearing a
safety belt?
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.
A: You could be-whether you’re
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 Q:
If I’m a
good driver, and I never
drive far from home, why should I
wear safety belts?
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
(440 h) 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.
A: You may be an excellent driver, but
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Seats & Safety Eelts
Satiety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to Run 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.
w How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly-Adults
This section is only for people of adult
size.
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.
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LapShoulder 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 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until
it clicks.
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.
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.
IS
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Seats & Safety 6elts
Lap-Shoulder Belt (CONTI
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
You can move the shoulder belt adjuster
to
the height that is right for you.
To move it up or down, squeeze the
release handle. When
you release the
handle,
try to move it down a little to
make sure
it has locked into position.
You can move the adjuster
up from a
lower position by pushing the bottom of
the release handle. Adjust
the height so that the shoulder
portion of the belt is properly positioned
on your shoulder, away from your face
and neck.
To help you find a height that is right for
you, follow these guidelines:
For a Tall Person:
Use the upper or upper-middle position.
For a Person of Average Height:
Use a position somewhere in the
middle.
For a Short Person:
Use the lower or lower-middle position.
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Q: What’s wrong with this? Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
won’t give nearly as much protection place.
1
this way.
You can be serio
your belt is buck
your shoulder belt is too wrong place like this.
loose. In a crash, you would move the belt would go up
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.
musly injured
if
;led in the T
You can be seriously injured if
. - you wear the shoulder belt In a crasn,
forward too much; which could
’ abdomen. The belt forces would
increase injury. The shoulder belt be
there, not at the pelvic bones.
should fit against your body. This
could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest you. 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.
3veryour 3
I I
21 ...
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Seats & Safety Belts
!ap-Shoulder Belt (CONI)
2: What’s wrong with this?
4: The belt is twisted across the body.
You MLI~ be seriously injured
ky a twisted belt. In a crash,
you wouldn’t have the full width of
the belt to spread impact forces. If
a belt is twisted, make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix it.
x1102 I
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.
H1132
Supplemental Znjlatable
Restraint System (Air
Bag)
This section explains the driver’s
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR)
or “air bag” system. Your Pontiac may
have an air bag for the driver and for the
right-front passenger.
... 22
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Your Pontiac may have the right-front
passenger’s
SIR option. If your vehicle
has an air bag for the right-front
passenger,
it will say SIR on the
instrument panel above the glove box.
Here are the Most Important Things
to Know:
Even with an air bag, if you’re
not wearing a safety belt and
Y
you.re in a crash, your injuries
may be much worse. Air bags are Air
bags inflate with great
force, faster than
the blink of
an eye. If you’re too close to an
inflating air bag, it could seriously
injure you. Safety belts
help keep
you in position for
an air bag
inflation
in a crash. Always wear
your safety belt, even with an air
bag, and sit as far back
as you can
while still maintaining control of
your vehicle.
“not designed to inflate in rollovers
or in rear, side or low-speed
frontal crashes. You need to wear
your safety belt
to reduce the
chance
of hitting things inside the
vehicle
or being ejected from it.
Always wear your safety belt, even
with an air bag.
A An inflating air bag can
children. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle.
To read
how, see the
Children and Safe9
Belts section of this manual, and
read the caution label
on the front
passenger’s safety belt.
- seriously injure small
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