Page 25 of 386

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 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.
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.
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.
Page 26 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. 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 crash, or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
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Page 27 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q: What’s wrong with this?
I I
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection
this way.
‘ A CAUTIOF
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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Page 28 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ‘e.’ What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
~
A CAUTION:
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.
Page 29 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at
all times.
I
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your
arm. In a crash, your
body
would move too far forward, which would
increase the chance
of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much
force to the
ribs, which aren't as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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Page 30 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Q: What's wrong with this?
I'
F
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn't have the full width of the
belt to spread impact forces.
If a belt is twisted,
make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix it.
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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Page 31 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out
of the way.
Before you close the door, be
sure the belt is out of the
way.
If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the
belt and your vehicle.
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely
to be
seriously injured if they don’t wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
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Page 32 of 386

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When
a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key
to making
safety belts effective
is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt
properly,
see “Driver Position” earlier in this section.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as
the driver’s safety belt -- except for one thing. If
you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all the
way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature.
If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and
start again.
Air Bag System
This part explains the air bag system.
Your vehicle has two air bags
-- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for the right front passenger.
The air bag in your vehicle may be “Next Generation”
reduced-force frontal ak bags. If your vehicle has a
label on the driver’s door window, then your vehicle has
reduced-force frontal air bags. If your vehicle doesn’t
have a label, then the
air bags in your vehicle aren’t
reduced-force. Here
are the
most important things to know about the air
bag system:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have
air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of bitting
things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air
bags -- even reduced-force air bags -- are
“supplemental restraints” to the safety belts. All air
bags -- even reduced-force air bags -- are designed
to work with safety belts, but don’t replace them.
Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to Mate at all in
rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal crashes.
And, for
unrestrained occupants, reduced-force air
bags may provide less protection in frontal crashes
than more forcefid
air bags have provided in the
past. Everyone
in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an air bag
for that person.
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