2010 CADILLAC DTS belt

Lap Belt
This part is only for the lap belt. To learn how to wear alap-shoulder belt, seeLap-Shoulder Belt on page 2-26.
You vehicle may have a center seating position.When you sit in the center front seating position, youhave a lap safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull italong the belt.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lappart of a lap-shoulder belt.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shownuntil the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extenderon page 2-33.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is positionedso you would be able to unbuckle the safety beltquickly if necessary.
If you find that the latch plate will not go fully into thebuckle, see if you are using the correct buckle. Be surethat the latch plate clicks when inserted into thebuckle.
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Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, youshould use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, yourdealer/retailer will order you an extender. When yougo in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, sothe extender will be long enough for you. To helpavoid personal injury, do not let someone else use it,and use it only for the seat it is made to fit. The extenderhas been designed for adults. Never use itfor securing child seats. To wear it, attach it to theregular safety belt. For more information, see theinstruction sheet that comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats shouldwear the vehicle’s safety belts.
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The manufacturer’s instructions that come with thebooster seat, state the weight and height limitations forthat booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulderbelt until the child passes the below fit test:
•Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees bend
at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return tothe booster seat.
•Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder belt
rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, tryusing the rear safety belt comfort guide. See “RearSafety Belt Comfort Guides” underLap-ShoulderBelt on page 2-26for more information. If theshoulder belt still does not rest on the shoulder,then return to the booster seat.
•Does the lap belt fit low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return tothe booster seat.
•Can proper safety belt fit be maintained for
length of trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to thebooster seat.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a positionwith a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint ashoulder belt can provide.
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 fit 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” underLap-Shoulder Belt on page 2-26.
According to accident statistics, children and infants aresafer when properly restrained in the rear seatingpositions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strikeother people who are buckled up, or can be thrownout of the vehicle. Older children need to use safetybelts properly.
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{WARNING:
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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{WARNING:
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 includesinfants and all other children. Neither the distancetraveled nor the age and size of the traveler changesthe need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,the law in every state in the United States and inevery Canadian province says children up to some agemust be restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING:
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.
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer protection for adultsand older children, but not for young children and infants.Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbagsystem is designed for them. Every time infants andyoung children ride in vehicles, they should have theprotection provided by appropriate child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike otherpeople, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
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{WARNING:
A young child’s hip bones are still so small that
the vehicle’s regular safety belt may not remain
low on the hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may
settle up around the child’s abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash,
young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infantseat (A) provides restraintwith the seating surfaceagainst the back ofthe infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in acrash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing childseat (B) provides restraintfor the child’s bodywith the harness.
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A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed toimprove the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system.A booster seat can also help a child to see outthe window.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{WARNING:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child restraint is not properly secured in the
vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly in the
vehicle using the vehicle’s safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came with
that child restraint and the instructions in this
manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraintmust be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systemsmust be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or thelap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCHsystem. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children(LATCH) on page 2-45for more information. A child canbe endangered in a crash if the child restraint is notproperly secured in the vehicle.
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