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To return the seat to the sitting
position:
1. Make sure the safety belt is
through the storage clip.
2. Lift the seatback and push it
rearward until it is locked in
the sitting position.3. Push and pull on the seatback to
make sure it is locked.
4. Remove the safety belt from the
storage clip.
The seatback must be locked or
you will not be able to pull out
and use the rear center safety
belt. Always push and pull on the
seatback to be sure it is locked.Safety Belts
This section of the manual describes
how to use safety belts properly.
It also describes some things not
to do with safety belts.
{CAUTION
Do not let anyone ride where he
or she cannot wear a safety belt
properly. If you are in a crash
and you are not wearing a safety
belt, your injuries can be much
worse. You can hit things inside
the vehicle harder or be ejected
from it and be seriously injured
or killed. In the same crash, you
might not be, if you are buckled
up. Always fasten your safety
belt, and check that your
passenger(s) are restrained
properly too.
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{CAUTION
It is extremely dangerous to
ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these
areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
Do not allow people to ride in
any area of your vehicle that is
not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone
in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
SeeSafety Belt Reminders on
page 4-14.In most states and in all Canadian
provinces, the law requires
wearing safety belts. Here is why:
You never know if you will be
in a crash. If you do have a crash,
you do not know if it will be a
serious one.
A few crashes are mild, and some
crashes can be so serious that even
buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in
between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and
sometimes walk away. Without
safety belts they could have been
badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety
belts in vehicles, the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything,
you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose
it is just a seat on wheels.
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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the
vehicle. The rider does not stop.The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In a real
vehicle, it could be the windshield...
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or the instrument panel... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as
the vehicle does. You get more time
to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the
forces. That is why safety belts make
such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:
Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not. But
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so
youcanunbuckle and get out, is
muchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety
belt, even if you are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why
should I have to wear safety
belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag
is provided, all occupants still
have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in
frontal collisions, but especially in
side and other collisions.
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Q:If I am a good driver, and I
never drive far from home,
why should I wear safety
belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver,
but if you are in a crash — even
one that is not your fault — you
and your passenger(s) can be
hurt. Being a good driver does not
protect you from things beyond
your control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of home.
And the greatest number of
serious injuries and deaths
occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
Be aware that there are special
things to know about safety belts
and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and infants.
If a child will be riding in the vehicle,
seeOlder Children on page 1-37
orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-38. Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up
can be thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are
wearing safety belts.First, before you or your
passenger(s) wear a safety belt,
there is important information
you should know.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the oor in front of you.
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.
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If you slid under it, the belt would
apply force on 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 shoulder belt locks if there is a
sudden stop or crash.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose.
It will not give as much
protection this way.
{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 snugly against
your body.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose.
It will not give nearly as
much protection this way.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously hurt if your
lap belt is too loose. In a crash,
you could slide under the lap
belt and apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
The lap belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs.
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Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
your belt is buckled in the
wrong place like this. In a
crash, the belt would go up
over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not on
the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into
the buckle nearest you.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
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{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
your belt goes over an armrest
like this. The belt would be
much too high. In a crash,
you can slide under the belt.
The belt force would then be
applied on the abdomen, not on
the pelvic bones, and that could
cause serious or fatal injuries.
Be sure the belt goes under the
armrests.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under
the arm. It should be worn over
the shoulder at all times.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured
if you wear the shoulder belt
under your arm. In a crash,
your body would move too far
forward, which would increase
the chance of head and neck
injury. Also, the belt would
apply too much force to the
ribs, which are not as strong as
shoulder bones. You could also
severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.
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