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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.
{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.
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.
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 outside passenger
position in the rear seats. Here is how to install a
comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Locate the guide in a pocket on the side of
the seatback.
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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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{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 Outside Passenger
Positions on page 34. 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.
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle may safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They help tighten the safety belts during
the early stages of a moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crash if the threshold conditions for
pretensioner activation are met.
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 99.
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 fit. 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.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a
seating position that has a lap-shoulder belt to
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, 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 fit 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.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
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 seated in a rear outside seat
position, move the child toward the center
of the vehicle. Also seeRear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides on page 37. If the child is
sitting in the second row center seat 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 that belts provide. If the child
is so small that the shoulder belt is still very
close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in a seat that has a lap
belt, if your vehicle has one.
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{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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