2003 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

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
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
Older Children on page 1-35
or lnfants and Young Children on page 1-38. 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 “Seats” in the Index.
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3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure. If the belt isn’t long enough, see
Safety
Belt Extender on page 1-34.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The lap part of the belt should
be worn
low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of
the body are best able
to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or crash,
or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
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Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster To move it down, push it in at the top of the arrows
and move the height adjuster to the desired position.
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
You can move the adjuster up just
by pushing up on the
adjuster to the height that is right for you.
shoulder belt guide. After you move the adjuster to
your shoulder
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Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won't give nearly
as much protection this way.
You can be seriously hurt if your slI,ulder 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.
1-21

Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
'I I can be serious injured i OUL --elt 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.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
1
A: The belt is over an armrest. You
can be seriously injured
.. jour bell ,oes
over an armrest like this. The belt would be
much too high.
In a crash, you can slide under
the belt. The belt force would then be applied
at the abdomen, not at the pelvic bones, and
that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.
1-23

Q: What’s wrong with this?
L L
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at
all times.
feu can be se IUS injure f you wear ?
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.
1-24

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
You can be seriously injured by a twisted beltl
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.
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