1995 GMC SIERRA Owners Manual

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also
tells you some things you should not do with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint, or “air bag” system.
A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear a safety belt
properly.
If you are in a crash and you’re not wearing a safety
belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside
the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or
killed. In the same crash, you might not be if you are buckled
up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your
passengers’ belts are fastened properly too.
YOLE vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. (See
“Safety Belt Reminder Light” in the Index.)
In many states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts.
Here‘s why:
They 1.zvl-k.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don’t
know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even
buckled up
a person wouldn’t survive. But most crashes are in between. In
many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away.
Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In
most crashes buckling up does matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Put someone
on it.
Get it up to speed.
Then stop the vehicle.
.......... ..-......... -. ,. .... I,
The rider doesn't stop.
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'' The person keeps
going until stopped by
something.
In a real vehicle, it
could be the
L
I
windshield . . .
or the instrument
panel
...
or the safety belts!
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 for\
ces.
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:
A:
Q:
A:
Q:
A:
Won ’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I’m wearing a
safety belt?
You could be - whether you’re wearing a safety belt or not. But you
can 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.
Why don’t they just put in air bags so people won’t have to wear
safety belts?
Air bags are in many 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.
If I’m a good drive4 and I never drive far from home, why should I
wear safety belts?
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 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and
children. And there are different rules for smaller children and
babies. If a
child will be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this manual called
“Children.” Follow 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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Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder 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 “Seats” in the Index) so you can sit up
straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let the belt
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch
plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender’’ at the end of
this section. get twisted.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned
so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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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 bhdy are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly as much protection
this way.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is over an armrest.
I I
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