2007 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT Owners Manual

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, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 38.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 up on the
shoulder part.
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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, or 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.
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To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
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 for each rear passenger
position in the rear seat. Here is how to install a
comfort guide to the shoulder belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage pocket on
the side of the seatback for the outboard
positions. For the center position, remove the
guide from its storage pocket on the side
of the seatback.
Outboard Position shown
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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
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 32. Make sure that the shoulder
belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze
the belt edges together so that you can take
them out of the guide. Slide the guide into
its storage pocket on the side of the seatback.
37

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, near frontal, rear
or side crash, or a rollover.
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 87.
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. 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.
38

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
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.
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{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.
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.
If the child is sitting in the center rear seat
passenger position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. Also seeRear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides on page 35. 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 that belts
provide.
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