2009 BUICK LUCERNE page 3

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a lap-shoulder
except for the center front passenger position
(if equipped), which has a lap belt. SeeLap Belt
on page 1-33for more information.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can
sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-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.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled
out all the way, the child restraint locking feature
may be engaged. If this happens, just let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature in the
right front seating position may affect the passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 1-67for more information.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If the latch plate will not go fully into the buckle,
check if the correct buckle is being used.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-34.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for
front outboard occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they are part of the
safety belt assembly. They can 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. And, if your vehicle
has side impact airbags, safety belt pretensioners can
help tighten the safety belts in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If the pretensioners
activate in a crash, they will need to be replaced,
and probably other new parts for the vehicle’s safety
belt system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 1-75.
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 shoulder
belt away from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each outside passenger position
in the rear seat. Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage pocket on the
rear side of the seatback.
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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.
Lap Belt
This part is only for the lap belt. To learn how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt, seeLap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-27.
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 1-34.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 1-27for 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 1-27.
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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To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-45for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be
on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in the vehicle — even when no
child is in it.Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the
instructions that came with that child restraint.
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Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and infants are
safer when properly restrained in a child restraint system
or infant restraint system secured in a rear seating
position.
We recommend that children and child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a child
riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
inating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the
right front passenger airbag inates and the
passenger seat is in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that
an airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-67for
additional information.
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