1997 CADILLAC DEVILLE belt

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Q: 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 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 chldren. And there are different rules
for smaller children and babies.
If a child will be riding
in your Cadillac, 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.
1-13

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t
let it get twisted. I
Be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your
lap-shoulder belt.
If you find that the latch plate will
not go fully into the buckle,
see if you are using the
buckle
for the center passenger position.
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.
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.
1-14

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that is right for you.
To move it down, squeeze the release handle and move
the height adjuster to the desired position.
You can move
the adjuster up just by pushing up on the bottom of the
release handle. After you move the adjuster to where
you want it, try to move it down without squeezing the
release handle to make sure it has locked into position.
Adjust the height
so that the shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on your shoulder. The belt should
be away fiom
your face and neck, but not falling
off your shoulder.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Shoulder Belt Tightness Adjustment
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.
3. Just before it reaches the end, give it a quick pull.
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.
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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @ What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q.' What's wrong with this?
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @ 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.