2003 CHEVROLET C/K Owners Manual

1-18
Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt goes
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.

1-19
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.

1-20
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.

1-21
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.

1-22
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. If your vehicle has a
static seat in this position and if you ever pull the
shoulder 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 System
This part explains the air bag system.

1-23
If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel and AIR BAG on the instrument panel in front of
the right front passenger's seat, your vehicle has two air
bags
-- one air bag for the driver and another air bag for
the right front passenger.If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel but it doesn't say AIR BAG on the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger's seat, your
vehicle has an air bag for the driver only.
If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel, but there is no right front passenger seat, your
vehicle has an air bag for the driver only.
If it doesn't say AIR BAG on the middle part of the
steering wheel, your vehicle doesn't have air bags.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But these
air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job and
comply with federal regulations.

1-24
Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
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. Air bags are designed to
work only in moderate to severe crashes where
the front of your vehicle hits something. 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,
air bags may provide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful air bags have
provided in the past. Everyone in your vehicle
should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether
or not there's an air bag for that person.
CAUTION:
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 before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
air bags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.

1-25
If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passenger, please read this:
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
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
panel, which shows the 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.