2002 CADILLAC DEVILLE Owners Manual

1-19
Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
CAUTION:
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.

1-20
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.
CAUTION:
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.

1-21
Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across the body.
CAUTION:
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 dealer to fix it.

1-22
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.

1-23
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.
Air Bag Systems
This part explains the frontal and side impact air
bag systems.
Your vehicle has air bags
-- a frontal air bag for the
driver and another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger. Your vehicle also has a side impact air bag
for the driver and another side impact air bag for the
right front passenger. Your vehicle may also have a side
impact air bag for each of the two rear seat outboard
passenger positions.
If your vehicle has side impact air bags for each of the
two rear seat outboard passenger positions, it will say AIR
BAG on each side of the rear seatback closest to the door.

1-24
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.Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag systems:
CAUTION:
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 designed to work with safety belts but
don't replace them.
Frontal air bags for the driver and right front
passenger are designed to work only in moderate
to severe crashes where the front of your vehicle
hits something.
CAUTION: (Continued)

1-25
CAUTION: (Continued)
They aren't designed to inflate at all in rollover,
rear or low
-speed frontal crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more forceful
air bags have provided in the past. Side impact
air bags are designed to inflate only in moderate
to severe crashes where something hits the side
of your vehicle. They aren't designed to inflate
in frontal, in rollover or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly
-- whether or not there's an air
bag for that person.
CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact air bags inflate with
great force, faster than the blink of an eye. If
you're too close to an inflating air bag, as you
would be if you were leaning forward, it could
seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you in
position for air bag inflation before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
frontal air bags. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle. Occupants should not lean on or sleep
against the door.

1-26
CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Air bags plus lap
-shoulder belts offer
the best protection for adults, 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 ªChildren.º
United States Canada (Analog Only)
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the words AIR BAG or an air
bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.