1996 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Rear Seat Positic-
U
You’ll be using the lap belt.
I
A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can
be badly injured by the right front passenger
air bag if it inflates. Never secure
a child restraint
in the center front seat. It’s always better to
secure
a child restraint in the rear seat. You may,
however, secure
a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front passenger seat, but only with
the seat moved
all the way back. See
the earlier part about the top strap
if the child
restraint has one.
1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
plate
and pulling
it along the belt.
for the child restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
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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.
To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push
down on the child restraint.
Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure 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.
child passenger.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
U
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here’s why:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s
air bag inflates. This
is because the back of a
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating air bag. Always secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the rear seat.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Because your vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go
before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
(See “Seats” in the Index.)
Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
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 chdd’s
face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
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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.
6. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.
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Larger ChiL wAA
7. To tighten the belt, feed the lap belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let
it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult
or larger child passenger. Children
who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to
a
window so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
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Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need
to use the
safety
belts properly.
Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out in
a crash.
Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
people
who are.
A CAUTION: I
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces.
In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
@ What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is
so small that the shoulder belt is
very close
to the child’s face or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is
on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide. If the
child
is sitting in a rear seat outside position, see
“Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” in the Index.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close
to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in the center seat position,
the one that has only a lap belt.
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Never do this.
Here
a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt’s force would then be applied right on the
child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
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.
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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.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly.
Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from
doing its job, have
it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces.
If a belt is
torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After
a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But
if the belts were stretched, as they would be if worn
during a more severe crash, then you need new belts.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision
damage also may mean you will need to have safety belt
or seat parts repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs
may be necessary even
if the belt wasn’t being used at
the time of the collision.
If your seat adjuster won’t work after
a crash, the special
part of the safety belt that goes through the seat to the
adjuster may need to be replaced.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag
system parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier in
this section.
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