1998 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

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
Here’s how to wear the lap-shoulder belt 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.
R I
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. The shoulder portion
of the belt has an energy management loop. It is
designed
to open and help protect you in certain crashes.
If it opens, you will
see a label on the safety belt that
says to replace the belt. Be sure
to do so. If you don’t,
the safety belt won’t work properly and won’t protect
you in another crash. For more information on replacing
safety belts after a crash, see “Replacing Safety Belts’’
in the Index.
1-13
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.

YUII up on tne latcn plate to maKe sure It 1s secure. IT
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.
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.
Shoulder Belt Tightness Adjustment
Your car has a shoulder belt tightness adjustment
feature. If the shoulder belt seems too tight, adjust it
before you begin to drive.
I. Sit well back in the sear.
2. Start pulling the shoulder belt out.
1-14

3. Just before it reaches the end, give it a quick pull.
4. Let the belt go back all the way. You should hear a
slight clicking sound. If you don’t, the adjustment
feature won’t set, and you’ll have to start again.
5. Now you can add a small amount of slack. Lean
forward slightly, then sit back.
If you’ve added more
than
1 inch (25 mm) of slack, pull the shoulder belt
out as you did before and start again.
If you move around in the vehicle enough,
or if you pull
out the shoulder belt, the belt will become tight again.
If
this happens, you can reset it.
1-15

Q.’ What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
‘ CAUTION:
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. Don’t
allow more than 1 inch (25 mm) of slack.
I
1-16

Q: What’s wrong with this?
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
I injuries. Always buckle your belt into the
1 buckle nearest you.

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

12.' What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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.
1-19

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.
1-20