1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Owner's Manuals

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt adjuster to
the height that is right for you.
~
i
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or crash, or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away fkom
your face and neck, but not falling o€€ your shoulder.
&: What’s wrong with this? 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.
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
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Q: Mat’s wrong with this?
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.
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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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.
--
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 andneck injury.
Also, the belt would apply
too much force to the
ribs,
which aren't as strong as shoulder bomes.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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&.’ 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.

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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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
1 (SRS) or air bag system.
Your vehicle has “Next Generation” reduced-force
=frontal air bags
-- one air bag for the driver and another
~ air bag for the right front passenger.
‘Reduced-force frontal air bags
are designed to help
reduce the risk of injury from the force
of an inflating
air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly if they are to do their job and comply with
- federal regulations. . .. ..
- .- ~ ~~ .~ ~~ -.- ~~ ~ ~- ~~ ~ ~
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
-- 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 inflate at all
in rollover, rear, side
or low-speed frontal
crashes. And, for unrestrained occupants,
CAUTION: (Continued)
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