2009 HUMMER H3 Owners Manual

The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In a real
vehicle, it could be the windshield...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.
Seats and Restraint System 1-13

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.
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 1-25orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-28. 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.
1-14 Seats and Restraint System

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, justtouching 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
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.
Seats and Restraint System 1-15

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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
1-16 Seats and Restraint System

{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.
{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.
Seats and Restraint System 1-17

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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
1-18 Seats and Restraint System

{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by not
wearing the lap-shoulder belt
properly. In a crash, you would not
be restrained by the shoulder belt.
Your body could move too far
forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. You 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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by a
twisted belt. In a crash, you would
not have the full width of the belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt
is twisted, make it straight so it
can work properly, or ask your
dealer/retailer to x it.
Seats and Restraint System 1-19

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
If you are using a rear seating
position with a detachable safety
belt and the safety belt is not
attached, see60/40 Split Bench
Seat (H3) on page 1-7or60/40 Split
Bench Seat (H3T) on page 1-9for
instruction on reconnecting the
safety belt to the mini-buckle.
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, 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 1-54for
more information.
1-20 Seats and Restraint System