1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buck
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
.le up !
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle in
a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.
1. 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull
up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt
is pulled out all the way, it
will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
If the belt is not 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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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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 a crash,
or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
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.
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Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults
Your vehicle may have rear shoulder belt comfort
guides. This ,feature will provide added safety belt
comfort for children who have outgrown child restraints
and for small adults. When installed on a shoulder belt,
the comfort guide pulls the belt away from the neck
and head.
If your vehicle has a bench seat in the second row, there
is one guide for the left-hand outside passenger position.
If your vehicle has third-row seats, there is one guide for
each outside passenger position.
To provide added safety
belt comfort for children who have outgrown child
9 restraints and for smaller adults, the comfort guides may
be installed on the shoulder belts. Here’s how to install a
comfort guide and use the safety belt:
I. The guide is located on the side of the seatback. To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the two edges
of the belt into the slots of the guide.
3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies flat. The
guide must be on
top of the belt.
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4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as
described in “Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions”
earlier
in this section. Make sure that the shoulder
belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together
so that you can take them out from
the guides. Then just let the guide hang from its elastic
cord on the side
of the seatback.
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Center Passenger Position Lap Belt
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To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown 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 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.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size.
In fact,
the law
in every state in the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up to some age must be
restrained
while in a vehicle.
Smaller Children and Babies
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained
in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions 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.
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