1998 CHEVROLET BLAZER Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
5. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint.
If you’re using a forward-facing child
restraint, you may find
it helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure
it is secure.
1-49

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Center Seat Positions (4-Door Models)
Don’t use child restraints in these positions. The
restraints won’t work properly.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat
Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here’s why:
1-50

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates, even though your
vehicle has reduced-force frontal air bags. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the inflating air
bag. Always secure a rear-facing child restraint
in the rear seat.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one. Be sure
to follow the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and
as the instructions say.
1. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag, always move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
(See “Seats” in the Index.)
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch 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. 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.
1-51

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock. 6.
7.
To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
You may find it helpful to use your knee to push down
on the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
Push and pull the child restraint in different
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Larger Children Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window
so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
in
a crash.
people who are.
1-53

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces. In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
Q: What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is
so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child’s face or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still
is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have
the restraint that belts provide. If the
child is sitting in a rear outside position of a
four-door model, see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides” in
the Index. If the child is so small that
the shoulder belt is still very close to the child’s
face or neck,
you might want to place the child in a
seat that has a lap belt, if your vehicle has one.
1-54

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I A CAUTION: I
Never do this.
Here
a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt’s force would then be applied right on the
child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force
to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
1-55

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you
an extender. It’s free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender will be long enough for
you. The extender will
be just for you, and just for the seat in your vehicle that
you choose. Don’t let someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and
all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly.
Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from
doing its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts
may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt is
torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened
or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
1-56