1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To close the seat, push the seatback up to its
original position.
Check to ensure the seatback is in its original position
and securely latched by pulling forward
on the top
of the seatback. Move any obstructions in the
trunk compartment.
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 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS),
or
air bag system.
I A CAUTION:
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.
1-7

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels. Put someone on it.
1-9

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop. The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
1-10

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.
1-11

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
&: 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 beltec.
@ 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.

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 children. And there are different rules for
smaller children and babies.
If a child will be riding in
your Chevrolet, 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.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
1-13

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle
the belt. 5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
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 auickly
if you ever had to.
1-14