1996 CHEVROLET TRACKER child seat

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 chldren
and babies. If a child will be riding in
your Geo, 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.
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 it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly
to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
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Child Restraints
Be sure the child restraint is designed to be used in a
vehicle.
If it is, it will have a label saying that it meets
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then 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.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in
the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
U
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 may, however, secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat. Before you secure
a forward-facing child restraint, always move the
front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. Or,
secure the child restraint in
the rear seat.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
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.
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Top Strap Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored.
If you have a two-door model, don’t use a
restraint like
that in your vehicle because the top strap
anchor cannot be installed properly.
You shouldn’t use
this type of restraint without anchoring the top strap.
If your vehicle is a four-door model and you need to
have
an anchor installed, you can ask your Geo dealer to
put one
in for you. If you want to install an anchor
yourself,
your dealer can tell you how to do it. 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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6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
directions to be sure it is secure.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
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.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here’s why:
I
A CAUTION:
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 inQating air bag. Always secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the rear seat.
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You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap
if the child restraint has one.
1. 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 chld restraint.
(See “Seats” in the Index.)
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. 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. 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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Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts. Accident statistics
show that children are safer
if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out in
a crash.
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
people who are.
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,’ CAUTION:
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 touchhg
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic
bones in a crash.
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A CAUTION:
I:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than
the GVWR, or either the maximum front or
rear
GAWR. If you do, parts an your vehicle
can break, or it can change the way your
vehicle handles. These could cause
you to lose
control. Also, overloading can shorten the life
of your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Your warranty does not cover parts or
components that fail because of overloading.
~~
€ you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else
-- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes.
If you have to stop or turn quickly, or
if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
A CAUTION:
nside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in
a sudden stop or turn, or in
a crash.
Put things in the cargo area of your vehicle.
0 Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
Try to spread the weight evenly.
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops
of the seats.
0 Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever
you can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
There’s also important loading information for off-road
driving in this manual.
See “Loading Your VehicIe” in
the Index.
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