2008 CADILLAC DTS Owners Manual

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.
Lap Belt
This part is only for the lap belt. To learn how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt, seeLap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-24.
You vehicle may have a center seating 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.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder belt.
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To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown
until the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 1-30.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly if necessary.
If you nd that the latch plate will not go fully into the
buckle, see if you are using the correct buckle. Be sure
that the latch plate clicks when inserted into the buckle.
Safety Belt Extender
If the safety belt will fasten around you, you should
use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your
dealer/retailer 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, 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.The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the
booster seat, state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder
belt until the child passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees bend
at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder belt
rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, try
using the rear safety belt comfort guide. See “Rear
Safety Belt Comfort Guides” underLap-Shoulder
Belt on page 1-24for more information. If the
shoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder,
then return to the booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be maintained for
length of trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to the
booster seat.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a position
with a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide.
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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. This applies
belt force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. It
should never be worn over the abdomen, which
could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in
a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-24.
According to accident statistics, children and infants 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.{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear the same
safety belt. The safety belt can not properly
spread the impact forces. In a crash, the two
children can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A safety belt must be used by only
one person at a time.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never allow a child to wear the safety belt with
the shoulder belt behind their back. A child
can be seriously injured by not wearing the
lap-shoulder belt properly. In a crash, the child
would not be restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child could move too far forward
increasing the chance of head and neck injury.
The child might also slide under the lap belt.
The belt force would then be applied right on
the abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.
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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. Children who are not restrained properly
can strike other people, or can be thrown out of
the vehicle. In addition, young children should not use
the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone; they need to use a
child restraint.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a
child will become so heavy it is not possible to
hold it during a crash. For example, in a crash
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) infant
will suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force
on a person’s arms. An infant should be
secured in an appropriate restraint.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front seat. Secure a
rear-facing child restraint in a rear seat. It is
also better to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. If you must secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go.
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.
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