1997 BUICK REGAL Owners Manual

6-Way Power Seat (If Equipped) Heated Seat (If Equipped)
You may have a driver’s six-way power seat and a
six-way power passenger’s seat (if equipped).
This switch is designed to imitate the movements
of your
seat cushion. It is located on the left side of the driver’s
seat cushion.
To move the seat forward or rearward, push
the switch folward or rearward.
To raise or lower the
entire seat, push the switch up or down. To raise
or lower
the front portion of your seat, push
the front of the switch
up or down.
To raise or lower the rear portion of your seat,
push the rear of the switch up or down.
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If your vehicle is equipped with heated seats, the
driver’s side and passenger’s side three-position
switches are located
on the center console, just behind
your automatic transaxle shift lever. Press
LO to warm
the seat at a lower temperature. Press HI to warm the
seat at a higher temperature.
To turn this feature off,
return the switch to its center position. The button
directly in the middle of the heated seat switches is
used for traction control (see “Traction Control System”
or “Enhanced Traction System” in the Index).
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Reclining Front Seatbacks
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.
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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 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.
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 air bag system.
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.
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I
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured
or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in
a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as
a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
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.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
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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. Put
someone
on it.
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Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop. The
person keeps gomg until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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or the instrument panel ...
L
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 &= If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
About Safetv Belts -- and the Answers home, why should I wear safety belts?
Q=
A:
&=
A:
u
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
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?
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.
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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