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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 ªChildren.º 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 so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see ªSeatsº in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The lap
-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.
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1-21
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 ªDriver Positionº 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 lap 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.
If your vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure
to use the correct buckle when buckling your
lap
-shoulder belt. If you find that the latch plate will not
go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
Air Bag Systems
This part explains the frontal and side impact air
bag systems.
Your vehicle has four air bags
-- a frontal air bag for the
driver, another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger, a side impact air bag for the driver, and
another side impact air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag. But
these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.
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Door Locks
CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers -- especially children -- can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle won't open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in
a crash if the doors aren't locked. So, wear
safety belts properly and lock the doors
whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or stop
your vehicle. Locking your doors can help
prevent this from happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
To lock or unlock the door from the outside, use
your door key or remote keyless entry transmitter
(if equipped).
To lock or unlock the door from the inside, move the
manual lock on the door handle forward or rearward.
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Rear Door Security Locks
Your vehicle is equipped
with rear door security
locks that prevent
passengers from opening
the rear doors on your
vehicle from the inside.
Using One of These Locks
1. Open one of the rear doors.
2. Move the lever on the door all the way up to the
ENGAGED position.
3. Close the door.
4. Do the same thing to the other rear door lock.
The rear doors on your vehicle cannot be opened from
the inside when this feature is in use.Opening a Rear Door When the Security Lock is On
1. Unlock the door.
2. Then open the door from the outside.
If you don't cancel the security lock feature, adults or
older children who ride in the rear won't be able to open
the rear door from the inside. You should let adults and
older children know how these security locks work, and
how to cancel the security locks.
Canceling the Rear Door Security Lock
1. Unlock the door.
2. Move the lever all the way down.
3. Do the same thing for the other rear door.
The rear door locks will now work normally.
Lockout Protection
The power door locks will not work if the key is left in
the ignition and the driver's door is open. You can
override this feature by holding the power door lock
switch on the driver's door for more than three seconds.
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If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action
-- steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. See ªBraking in
Emergenciesº earlier in this section. It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.