1996 BUICK REGAL Owners Manual

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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job. In a crash you
could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In
a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
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Reclining Front Seatbacks (4-Door
Lift the lever to release the seatback, then move the seatback to where
you want it. Release the lever to lock
the seatback in place. Pull up on the lever without pushing on
the seatback and the seatback will move forward. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. \
I
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
CAUTION: (Continued)
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I
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front
of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck
or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t
do its job either. In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint
is closest to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches (2-Door Models)
The front seat folds forward to
let people get into the back seat. Your seatback will move
back and forth freely, unless
you come to a sudden stop.
Then it will lock in place.
If your vehicle is parked facing down a fairly steep hill,
the seatback
may not fold without some help from you.
To fold the locked seatback forward, push the seatback
toward the rear and lift this latch. Then the seatback will
fold forward.
The latch must be down for the seat to
work properly.
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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 Restraint System
(SRS),
or air bag system.
L
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.
J
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as
a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
I After more than 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling
up does
matter
... a lot!
In most
states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
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.
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes,
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's
just a seat on wheels.
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Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t
stop.
The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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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 forces. 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
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: 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.
If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most 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 driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
home, why should I wear safety belts?
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.
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