1998 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manuals

@ What's wrong with this?
A CAL JON:
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place. 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.

12: What's wrong with this?
'A
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.
I
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be
worn over the shoulder at all times.
1-18

What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
1
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 retailer to
fix it.
I
1-19

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.
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.
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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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
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position’’
earlier in
this section.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your vehicle
has two air bags -- one air bag for the
driver and another
air bag for the right front passenger. 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 hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air
bags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety
belts. All 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 inflate at all
in rollover, rear, side
or low-speed frontal
crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an
air bag for that person.
1-21

A CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye.
If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with air
bags. The driver should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
~
‘
A CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
the best protection for adults and older children,
but not for young children and infants. Neither
the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air bag
system is designed for them. Young children and
infants need the protection that
a child restraint
system can provide. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle.
To read how, see the
part
of this manual called “Children” and see the
caution labels on the sunvisors and the right front
passenger’s safety belt.
1-22

AIR
BAG
There is an air bag
readiness light
on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR
BAG.
How the Air Bag System Works
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index
for more information.
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.
If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly
or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an
air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate only
if
the impact speed is above the system’s designed “threshold
level.” If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that doesn’t
move
or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 14 mph
(14 to 23 km/h). The threshold level can vary, however,
with specific vehicle design,
so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.
If your vehicle strikes
something that will move or deform, such
as a parked car,
the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not
designed
to inflate in rollovers, side impacts or rear
impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant.
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