2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT Owners Manual

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.2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the
two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide.
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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.
{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.
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4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as
described previously in this section. 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.
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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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/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.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
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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” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-26for 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
the length of the trip? If yes, continue. If no,
return to the booster seat.
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 1-26.
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.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt cannot 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.
{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. In a crash, the child would
not be restrained by the shoulder belt. The
child might slide under the lap belt. The belt
force would then be applied right on the
abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The child could also move too far
forward increasing the chance of head and
neck injury. 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:
People should never hold an infant in their
arms while riding in a vehicle. An infant does
not weigh much — until a crash. During a
crash an infant 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)
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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