2007 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE Owners Manual

Q:What is 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 would not 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 x it.
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To unlatch the belt, 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.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that is right for you.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion
of the belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt
should be away from your face and neck, but
not falling off your shoulder. Improper shoulder belt
height adjustment could reduce the effectiveness
of the safety belt in a crash.
To move it down,
squeeze the buttons (A)
on the sides of the
height adjuster
and move the height
adjuster to the desired
position.
You can move the adjuster up just by pushing up
on the shoulder belt guide.
After you move the adjuster to where you want
it, try to move it down without squeezing the
buttons to make sure it has locked into position.
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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 do not 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.The best way to protect the fetus is to protect
the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly,
it is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt
in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone,
the key to making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
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Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on
page 26.
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 airbag. If this happens, just
let the belt go back all the way and start again.
Center Front Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone
can sit in the center position.
When you sit in the center front 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.
36

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 is
not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 44.
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.
Rear Seat Passengers
It is 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 are not 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.
37

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seat positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here is how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across
you. Do not 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, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 44.
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.
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{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, push the button on the buckle.
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