1997 CADILLAC SEVILLE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if
I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You COLIE~ 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 call unbuckle and get out, is I~LLCII greater if
you are belted.
e.’ 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 \;lid7
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?
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 kmj of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at
speeds of less than 40 tnph
(65 kdh).
Safety belts are for everyone.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things
to know mout safety
belts and children.
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.
This
part describes the driver’s restraint system.
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.
3.
4.
Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
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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The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the ,Wghs. 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine .~~~~~~~~~ Belt ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~$~~~
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

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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.

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.
A 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. Don’t
allow more than
1 inch (25 mm) of slack.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine c ..T " I T--? 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.
c