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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
Driver Position on page 1-75.
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.
if this happens, just iet the beit go back aii
the way and start again.
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
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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. If
the belt stops before
it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page
7-37. 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.
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3, To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. 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 Ilkely
to sllde under the iap Delt. it you siia under ir,
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.
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The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash,
or
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.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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Center Rear Passenger Position
n
Lap Belt
When vou sit in the center seatinu 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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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 7-37.
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.
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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 shoulder belt comfort guides will 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.
There is one guide available for each outside passenger
position in the rear seat.
To provide added safety belt
comfort for children who have outgrown child restraints
and booster seats and for smaller adults, the comfort
guides may be installed on the shoulder belts. Here’s
how to install a comfort guide and use the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
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2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic
cord must be under the belt. Then, 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 elastic cord must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
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