1997 GMC SAVANA Owners Manual

6. Insert the red handled locking pin into the seat base. 7. Rotate the red handle down until it is in the
retaining clip.
8. Replace the carpet/mat flap to its original position.
9. Repeat this procedure for the other seat base.
10. Connect the quick release latch plates for the lap
shoulder belts by inserting the latch plates into the
buckles attached at the outboard positions
of the
bench seat.
Do not twist the belt.
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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 Inflatable Restraint (SIR),
or air bag system.
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.
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A CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a ca -0 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.
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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.
~
~~
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels.
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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then
stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...
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I ..
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.
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.
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.
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@ 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.
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
vehicle,
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.
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3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
4. 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.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt
as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
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