2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Owners Manual

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 would 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 is a sudden stop or a crash.
The safety belt also locks if you pull the belt very
quickly out of the retractor.
{CAUTION:
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 t against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
For outboard seating positions, when the safety belt is not
in use, slide the latch plate up the safety belt webbing.
The latch plate should rest on the stitching on the safety
belt, near the guide loop on the side wall.
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Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt away
from the neck and head.
There is one guide available for each outboard
passenger position in the rear seat. Here is how to
install a comfort guide and use the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage clip on the back
of the seatback.
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 at.
The elastic cord must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
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{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn may
not provide the protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could be seriously
injured. 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.4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as
described inRear Seat Passengers on page 1-25.
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. Pull the guide upward to expose its storage clip,
and then slide the guide onto the clip. Turn the guide and
clip inward and slide them in between the seatback and
the interior body, leaving only the loop of elastic cord
exposed.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the driver
and right front passenger. Although you cannot see them,
they are located on the retractor part of the safety belts.
They help the safety belts reduce a person’s forward
movement in a moderate to severe frontal or near
frontal crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-66.
1-29

Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer will
order you an extender. It is free. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and
use it only for the seat it is made to t. The extender has
been designed for adults. Never use it for securing
child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the regular safety
belt. For more information, see the instruction sheet
that comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
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Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt
and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the
face or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below
the hips, just touching the top of the thighs. It should
never be worn over the abdomen, which could
cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in
a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can not properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
1-31

Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
Also seeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides on
page 1-28. If the child is sitting in the center rear
seat passenger position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body would have
the restraint the belts provide.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt’s force would then be applied
right on the child’s abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled
if a shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck
and the safety belt continues to tighten. Never
leave children unattended in a vehicle and never
allow children to play with the safety belts.
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle’s
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby does not
weigh much — until a crash. During a crash a
baby will become so heavy it is not possible to
hold it. For example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly
become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a person’s
arms. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
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{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts
offer protection for adults and older children,
but not for young children and infants. Neither
the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide.
Q:What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by
the vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic types.
Selection of a particular restraint should take into
consideration not only the child’s weight, height and
age but also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing
a child restraint, be sure it is designed to be
used in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will
have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint, state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
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