1996 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Owners Manual

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
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
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: 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.
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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
Oldsmobile, 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.
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3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
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.
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5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. 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 a crash.
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Q.' What's wrong with this?
4 CAUTION:
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.
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?
6
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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
belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into the buckle
nearest you.
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Q:. What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
I A CAUTION:
-
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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What’s wrong with this? You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt.
In
a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of the
belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make
it straight so it can work properly, or ask
your retailer to
fix it.
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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b
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
!The belt should go back out
of the way.
Before you close
the door,. be sure the belt is out of the
way. If you slam the door on
it, you can damage both the
belt and your vehicle.
Supplemental Inflatable
Restraint (SIR) System
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) system or air bag system.
Your Oldsmobile has
an air bag for the driver.
Here are the, most important things to know about the air
bag system:
-
A CAUTION:
- J
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aten’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have an air bag. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or beingejected from it. The
air
bag is only a “supplemental restrainL” That is, it
works with safety belts but doesn’t replace them.
Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle
hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at all in
rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal crashes.
Everyone
in your vehicle, including the @river,
should
.wear a safety ,belt properly -- whether or
not there’s an air bag for
that person.
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