1995 CHEVROLET ASTRO CARGO VAN low

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to, the steering wheel.
Also, don’t put anything (such
as pets or objects) between the
driver and the steering wheel. If something is between an
occupant
and an air bag, it could affect the performance of the
air bag
- or worse, it could cause injury.
When should an air bag inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is
above the system’s designed “threshold level.” If your vehicle goes straight
into a wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is about
11 to 16
mph (1 8 to 26 kdh). The threshold level can vary, however, with specific
vehicle design,
so that it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such as a parked car, the
threshold level will be higher.
The air bag is not designed to inflate in
rollovers, side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would not help
the
occupant.
In any particular crash,
no one can say whether an air bag should have.
inflated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because
of what the
repair costs were. Inflation is determined by
the angle of the impact and the
vehicle’s deceleration. Vehicle damage is
only one indication of this.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing system detects
that the vehicle
is suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing
system triggers a chemical reaction of the sodium azide sealed in the
inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates
the air bag. The
inflator, air bag, and related hardware are all part of the air bag module
packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the
protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force
of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping the occupant
more gradually.
But air bags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because an
occupant’s motion is
not toward the air bag. Air bags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts, and then only
in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
A
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 “Driver Position,” earlier in
this section.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it will lock. If
it does, let it
go back all
the way and start again.
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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ?
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 will show you how
to do that.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly
secure any child restraint in your vehicle
- even when no child is in it.
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 GM dealer to put
it in for you.
If you want to install an anchor yourself, your dealer can tell
you how to do it.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside Seat
Position
You’ll be using the lapshoulder belt. See the earlier part about the top strap
if the child restraint has one.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch plate and pulling it
along the belt.
. .
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions for the child
restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the instructions say.
4. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions
will show you how.
5. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 6. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push down on the child
restraint.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is
secure. If the child restraint isn’t secure, turn the latch plate over and
buckle it again. Then see if it
is secure. If it isn’t, secure the restraint in
a different place in the vehicle and contact the child restraint maker for
their advice about how to attach the child restraint properly.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s safety belt. It will
be ready to work for an adult or larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Position
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part about the top strap
if the child restraint has one.
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. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of the
vehicle’s safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will
show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or neck, put it
behind the child restraint.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt should be worn low and
snug
on the hips, just touching the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to
the child’s pelvic bones in a crash.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your dealer will order
you an
extender. It’s free. When you go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you
will wear, so the extender will be long enough for you. The extender will be
just for
you, and just for the seat in your vehicle that you choose. Don’t let
someone else use it, and
use it only for the seat it is made to fit. To wear it,
just attach it to the regular safety belt.
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