1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX Owners Manual

Seats & Safety 6elts
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you
1. For example, if the bike is going
as fast as it goes.
10 mph (16 km/h), so is the child.
2. When the bike hits the block, it
stops. But the child keeps going! 3. Take the simplest “car.” Suppose
it’s just a seat on wheels.
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4. Put someone on it.
1r I
7. or the instrument panel . . .
5. Get it up to speed. Then stop the
“car.” The rider doesn’t stop.
I 8. or the safety belts!
x2012
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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Seats 4S Safety 6eIts
Here Are Questions Many People
Ask About Safety 8elts-
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
18
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 mver, 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 W).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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Safefy Belt Warning Light
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 until the
driver’s belt is buckled.
CAUTION
If your safety belt light ever
tllc iont doors are closed and the
driver’s belt is buckled, have your
vehicle fixed.
If you don’t, you might not have the
protection you’d need in a crash.
h comes on or stays on after
This s6ction is only for people of adult
size.
I CAUTION
* There are special things to
2 know about safety belts and
children. And there are different
rules for babies and smaller
children.
If a child will be riding in
your Pontiac, see the
Index under
ChiZdren. Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want
to how which
restraint
systems your vehicle has. We’ll
I start with the driver position.
Vehicles; Firsf SoEd 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.. .”
etc.) If so, then the rest of Part 1 does
not apply ta 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.
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...
Seats & Safety 6elts
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s
restraint system.
20
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
This safety belt is called “automatic”
because you don’t have to buckle up
when you get into your vehicle. 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.
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I
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 yau slid under it, the belt
would apply
force at your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even fatal
injuries. The shaulder 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 loclcs if there’s a sudden
stop
or a crash.
It’s possible that an automatic belt
could keep
you from €idly 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. I€
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.
And
yau 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 buclde.
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Seats & Safety
-1
1
I
Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belt
(CONr.)
TQ 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 cliclts.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
Belts
22
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
won’t give nearly as much protectior
this way.
You can be seriously hurt if
L your shoulder belt is too
loose. In a crash, you would move
forward too much, which could
signiticantly increase injury. The
shoulder
belt should fit against your
bodv.
I
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
You can be seriously injured
b if your belt is buckled in the I
the belt would go up over your
there, not at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest you.
abdomen. The belt forces would be I
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2: What’s wrong with this?
k The shoulder belt is worn under the
arm. It should be worn over the
shoulder at ail times.
1 CAUTlON I
You can be seriously injured
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.
I
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
11 CAUTION
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.
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.
L
23.m.
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