2002 CHEVROLET IMPALA belt

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Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
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-2 Seats and Seat Controls
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-8 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
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-13 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
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-14 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
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-14 Driver Position
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-21 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
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-22 Right Front Passenger Position
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-22 Air Bag Systems
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-31 Center Front Passenger Position1
-33 Rear Seat Passengers
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-36 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults
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-38 Children
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-42 Restraint Systems for Children
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-56 Older Children
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-59 Safety Belt Extender
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-59 Checking Your Restraint Systems
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-60 Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

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But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
CAUTION:
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
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.

1-6 Head Restraints
Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position reduces
the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Split Folding Rear Seat (If Equipped)
You can fold either side of the seatback down in your
vehicle for more cargo space. Make sure the front seat
isn't reclined. If it is, the rear seatback won't fold down
all the way.
To lower the rear seatback, follow these steps:
1. Remove the rear
center lap
-shoulder
belt latch by pressing
the release button.

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2. Pull forward on the seat tab located on the
outboard side of the seatback cushion to fold
the seat cushion down.
3. Fold the seatback down. This will allow you direct
access to the trunk.To raise the rear seatback, follow these steps:
1. Raise the seatback up and make sure it latches.
Push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked
in position.
2. Reconnect the center
safety belt latch plate
to the buckle.
Make sure the safety belt label is pointing to the release
button, and that both are facing the front of the vehicle.
Make sure the belt is not twisted. Push and pull on the
latch plate to be sure it is secure.

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When the seat is not in use, it should be kept in the
upright locked position. If you plan to load items into
the trunk through the split folding rear seat, you must
first turn off the trunk release sensor. See ªTrunk
Release Sensorº in the Index for more information.
CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move forward
in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury
to the person sitting there. Always press rearward
on the seatback to be sure it is locked.
CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won't provide the
protection needed in a crash. The person wearing
the belt could be seriously injured. After raising
the rear seatback, always check to be sure that
the safety belts are properly routed and attached,
and are not twisted.
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 air bag system.
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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CAUTION:
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 ªSafety
Belt Reminder Lightº in
the Index.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!

1-10 Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.
Put someone on it.

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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.