1993 PONTIAC GRAND-AM Owners Manual

Seats & Safety 6elts
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?
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
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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
(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.
A: You may be an excellent driver, but
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Safety Belt Warning Llght
When the key is turned to Run or Start,
a chime will come on for about eight
seconds to remind people to fasten their
safety belts, unless the driver’s safety
belt is buckled. The safety belt light
will
also come on and stay on for about a
minute. If the driver’s belt
is buckled,
neither the chime nor the light
will
come on.
A
If your s&ty belt light ever
comes on or stays on after the
hnt doors are closed and the
driver‘s belt is buckled, We your
vehicle €ked.
If you don’t, you might not have
the protection you’d need in a
crash.
I How to Wear Safety Belts
31
T
si
Properly-Adults
~~
his section is only for people of adult
ze.
i There are special things to
1 how about safety belts and
children, And there are different
des for babies and smaller
children, If a child will be riding
in your Pontiac, see the Idex
under Children aptd Sufety Belts.
Eollow those rules for everyone’s
protection.
First, you’ll want to know which
restraint systems your vehicle has.
We’ll
start with the driver position.
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Seats & Safety 6elts
1
Vehicles First Sold in Canada
Was your Pontiac first sold, when new,
in Canada? (If it was, a sticker on the
driver’s door will say “conforms to
all
applicable Canada motor vehicle. . . ’7
etc.) If so, then the rest of Part 1 does
not apply to your vehicle.
To learn how to use your safety belts,
please read the
Owner’s Manual
Safety Belt Supplement.
It comes with
every new Pontiac first sold in Canada.
18
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s
restraint system.
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
This safety belt is called “automatic”
because you don’t have to buckle up
when you get into your vehicle.
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i I
And you don’t have to unbuckle when
you get out.
Just get into your vehicle. Then close and lock the door. Adjust the seat (to see
how, see the
Index under Seat Controls)
so you can sit up straight. 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 Pontiac
needs service.
We hope you will always keep your
automatic belt buckled. However,
you
may need to unbuckle it in an
emergency.
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Seats & Safety 6elts
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
(CONE)
To unbuckle the automatic belt, just
push the button on the buckle.
mmm 20
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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
won’t give nearly as much protection
this way.
loose. In a crash, you would move
forward too much, which could
significantly increase injury. The
shoulder belt should
fit against
your body.
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I: What’s wrong with this?
L: The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
if
A
You can be seriously injured
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.
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 if
A you wear the shoulder belt
ullder your ann. 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.
I: What’s wrong with this?
,: The belt is twisted across the body.
Qr
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 gsk your
dealer
to fix it.
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Seats & Safety 6elts
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.
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 Controls) 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.
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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.
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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
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