1997 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine assenger Lap Belt
U
When you sit in the center seating position, you have a
lap safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt.
-3

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To make the belt shorter, pull, its free end as s-bwn until
the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part
of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt isn’t long enough,
see “Safety Belt Extender” at the end
o€ 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.
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult siie. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in kvery
Canadian province. says children up to some age must be
restrained’while in a vehicle.
Smaller children and babies should always be
..restrained
in a child or infant restraint. The
i-&ructions
for the restraint will say whether it
is the right type and size for your child. A very
young
child’s hip bones are so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen.
In a crash, the belt would apply
force right
on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any
child small enough for one is always properly
restrained
in a child or infant restraint.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehic1e.A baby doesn’t weigh much -0 mtiI a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
CAUTION: (Continued)
heavy you can’t ho1d:it. For example, in a crash
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-Ib. ,(5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-1b. (110;kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine s
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.
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: Wherever
you install it, be
sure to secure the child
restrain1 properly.
Keep in mind that
an unsecured child restraint can mow
around
in a collision 0%' sudden stop and injure people ir
the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child
restraint
in yo~ar vehicle -- even when no child is in it.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your child restraint has a top strap, your dealer can
obtain a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions specifically designed
for this vehicle. The
dealer can then install the anchor for you. In Canada,
this work will be done for you free of charge. Or, you
may install the anchor yourself using the instructions
provided
in the kit.
Securing a Child estraint in a
Outside Seat Position
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored.
If you need to have an anchor installed, you
can
ask your Cadillac dealer to put it in for you. If you
want to install an anchor yourself, your dealer can tell
you
how to do it.
Canadian law requires that child restraints have a top
strap, and that the strap be anchored. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 3. Pick up the Iatch 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.
Tilt
the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child's face or
neck, put
it behind the child restraint.
4. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ..
5. To tighten the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt while
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
you push down on the child restraint.
directions
to be sure it is secure.
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. You’ll be
using
the lap belt.
See the earlier
part about the top strap if the child
restraint
has one.
-3
i

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1.
2.
3.
4.
Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate
and pulling it along the belt.
Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint as
the
instructions say.
Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show
you how.
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.
6. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push
down on the child restraint.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it
is secure. If it isn’t, secure tlr
restraint in a different place in the vehicle and
contact the child restraint maker
for their advice
about how
to attach the child restraint properly.