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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.
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. 
     
        
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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
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.
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
When you sit in the center seating position, you have a
lap safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt. 
     
        
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4. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.5. To tighten the belt, feed the lap belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
If you're using a forward
-facing child restraint, 
you may find it helpful to use your knee to push
down on the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult
or larger child passenger. 
     
        
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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.
From the outside, use your key or the keyless entry
system, if your vehicle has this feature.
To lock the door from the
inside, push down the
manual lock, located on 
the door panels.
To unlock the door, pull the manual lock up.