2003 GMC SIERRA DENALI belt

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
Driver Position on page 1-13.
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 shoulder portion of the belt out all the
way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature
which may turn
off the passenger’s frontal air bag. If this
happens unintentionally, just let the belt go back all
the way and start again.
Center Passenger Position
1-22

Lap Belt
When you sit in a 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.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown
until the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder belt.
If the belt isn’t long
enough, see
Safety Belt Extender on page 1-29.
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.
1-23

Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle
up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the
rear seat are hurt more often
in crashes than those
who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.
1 -24

1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock
if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it
will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way
and start again.
If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt
Extender on page
1-29.
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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
1-25

1
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 a crash.
The safety belt also locks if you pull the belt very
quickly out
of the retractor.
You can be seriously hurt
if your shoulder 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 -26

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Your vehicle may have this feature already. If it doesn't,
you can get it from any
GM dealer.
Rear seat comfort guides provide added safety belt
comfort for older children who have outgrown booster
seats and for small adults. When installed on a shoulder
belt, the comfort guide better positions the belt away
from the neck and head.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
1-27

There is one guide available for each outside passenger
in the rear seat. Here's how to install
a comfort guide
and use the safety belt:
interior body.
1. Remove the guide from its storage clip on the
2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the two
edges of the belt into the
slots of the guide.
3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies flat.
The guide must be on top of the belt.
1-28

4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as
described in
Rear Seat Passengers on page 1-24.
Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the
shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together
so that you can take them out of the
guides. Slide the guide onto the storage clip.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But
if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you an extender. It’s free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear,
so
the extender will be long enough for you. The extender
will be just for you, and just for the seat in your
vehicle that you choose. Don’t let someone else use it,
and use it only for the seat it is made to fit.
To wear
it, just attach it to the regular safety belt.
1-29