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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be
in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
1 motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
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Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
The head restraints
tilt forward and rearward also.
Rear Seats
Your vehicle has a folding rear seat which lets you fold
the seatbacks down for
more cargo space.
The rear seat release handles are on the rear
of the
seatbacks. Push back on the seatbacks as you
pull up
on the handles. The head restraint will automatically
fold out of the
way when the seatback is folded down.
To raise the seatbacks, just
lift LIP the seatbacks and
push until they lock in the upright position. Push and
pull
on the seatbacks to check that the latches have
locked
in the upright position. If they haven’t, have
them repaired immediately.
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To return the head restraints to the upright position,
reach behind the seats and
pull the head restraint up until
it locks into position.
Push
and pull on the head restraints to check that they
have locked
in the upright position. If they haven’t, have
them repaired immediately.
The rear seat head restraints are adjustable. Push the
button located under the head restraint to raise or lower
it. Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of
the head restraint is closest to the top of your ears. Aftel-
releasing the button, push and pull
on the head restraint
to make sure it‘s locked
in place.
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly.
It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And
it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR),
or air bag system.
I A CAUTION:
-
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
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It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
1 -- I
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But
most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle
up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
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I' .. ,.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's .just a seat
on wheels.
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.......................................
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't
stop.
The person keeps going until stopped by solmething.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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Page 23 of 380
or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down
as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance.
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such
good sense.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you cmz unbuckle and get out, is rnuch greater if
you are belted.
&= If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work rt;ith
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only
in frontal collisions,
but especially
in side and other collisions.
Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being
a good
driver doesn‘t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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