1993 PONTIAC GRAND-PRIX Owners Manual

Seats & Safety 6elts
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.
... 24
k
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.
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.
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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 quicltly 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.
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Seats & Safety 6elts
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.
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3. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end of the belt as you
pull up on the shoulder part. 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
a crash.
CAUTION
A You can be seriously hurt if
A your shoulder belt is too
Lse. In a crash you would move
forward too much, which could
increase
injury. The shoulder belt
should fit against vour body. I
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Seats & Safety 6elts
Rear Seat Outside Passenger
Positions
(CONT.)
To unlatch the belt, just push the
button on the buckle.
28
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
I CAUTION
I A Smaller children and babies
4 A should always be restrained
111 d 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 nr infmt rpstrsint.
--
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Never hold a baby in your
arms while riding in a vehicle.
I
A baby doesn't weigh much-until
a crash. During a crash a baby will
become
so heavy you can,'t hold it.
For example, in a crash at only
25 mph (40 ltm/h), a 12-pound
(5.5 kg) baby will suddenly become
a 240-pound
(1 10 kg) force on your
arms. The baby would be almost
ir---o-;ble to hold.
(Continued)
I
(Continued)
Secure the baby in an infant
restraint.
will show you how to do that.
Child Restraints
Be sure to follow the instructions for
the restraint.
You may find these
instructions
on the restraint itself or in
a booklet, or both. These restraints use
the belt system in
your vehicle, but the
child also has to be secured within the
restraint to help reduce the
chance of
personal injury. The instructions that
come with the infant or child restraint
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Seats & Safety 6eIts
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children
are safer
if .they are restrained in the
rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend
that
you put your child restraint in the
rear seat unless the child is an infant
and you’re the only adult in the vehicle.
In that case, you might want to secure
the restraint in the front seat where you
can keep an eye on the baby.
Wherever you install it, be sure to
secure the child restraint properly.
A
An unsecured child restraint
can move around in a
callision or sudden stop and injure
people
in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint
in your vehicl-ven when no I
child is in it.
30
I
Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it
should be anchored. If you need to have
an anchor installed, you can ask your
Pontiac dealer to put it in for you. If
you want to install an anchor yourself,
your dealer can tell you how to do it.
Vehicles first sold in Canada have child
restraint anchor bracket hardware in
the glove box, along with instructions
for installing it. This should be used
only with a child restraint, and only to
secure a child restraint at a rear seating
position. Additional anchor brackets for
child restraints at the rear seating
positions are available
at Pontiac
dealerships in Canada.
I
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Position
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt.
See the earlier section about the top
strap
if the child restraint has one.
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1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow
the instructions for the child
restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint
as the instructions say.
3. Pull out the vehicle’s safety belt and
run the lap part through or around
the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show
you how. Tilt
the latch plate to adjust the belt if
needed. See if the shoulder belt
would go in front of the child’s face
or neck.
If so, put it behind the child
restraint.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the
release button faces upward or
outward,
so you’ll be able to
unbuckle it quickly if you ever need
to.
5. To tighten the belt, pull up on the
shoulder belt while you push
down
on the child restraint.
31 m..
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