1996 OLDSMOBILE AURORA Owners Manual

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
Q: 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
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.
wear safety belts?
Q: 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 hh).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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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 Aurora, 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. The shoulder portion
of the belt has an energy management loop. It is
designed to open and help protect you in certain crashes.
If
it opens, you will see a label on the safety belt that
says to replace the belt. Be sure to do
so. If you don’t,
the safety belt won’t work properly and won’t protect
you in another crash. For more information
on replacing
safety belts after a crash, see “Replacing Safety Belts”
in the Index.
Here’s how to wear the lap-shoulder belt 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.
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3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
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.
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.
Don’t let
it get twisted. 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 crash.
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,stment
Your car has a shoulder belt tightness adjustment
feature. If the shoulder belt seems too tight, adjust it
before you begin to drive.
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Start pulling the shoulder belt out.
4. Let the belt go back all the way. You should hear a
slight clicking sound.
If you don’t, the adjustment
feature won’t set, and you’ll have to start again.
5. Now you can add a small amount of slack. Lean
forward slightly, then sit back. If you’ve added more
than 1 inch
(25 mm) of slack, pull the shoulder belt
out as you did before and start again.
3. Just before it reaches the end, give it a quick pull.
If you move around in the vehicle enough, or if you pull
out the shoulder belt, the belt will become tight again. If
this happens, you can reset it.
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&.' What's wrong with this?
r
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body. Don't
allow more than
1 inch (25 mm) of slack.
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won't give nearly
as
much protection this way.
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&: What's wrong with this?
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this.
In a crash,,
the belt would go up over your abdomen. The be12
forces would be there, not
at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal injuries. Always
buckle your ,belt into the buckle nearest you.
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be
worn over the shoulder at all times.
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm.
In a crash, your
body would move too far forward, which would
increase the chance of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren’t as strong
as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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