2011 BUICK LACROSSE belt

Black plate (44,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-44 Seats and Restraints
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 fit 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, 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 to the booster seat.
.Can proper safety belt fit 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 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.
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.

Black plate (45,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-45
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.
{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.
{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(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.

Black plate (46,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-46 Seats and Restraints
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.
{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 adults and older
children, but not for young children and infants. Neither the vehicle's
safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Every
time infants and young children ride
in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.

Black plate (48,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-48 Seats and Restraints
Q: What are the different types ofadd-on child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints, which
are purchased by the vehicle
owner, are available in four
basic types. Selection of a
particular restraint should take
into consideration not only
the child's weight, height, and
age but also whether or not
the restraint will be compatible
with the motor vehicle in which
it will be used.
For most basic types of child
restraints, there are many
different models available.
When purchasing a child
restraint, be sure it is designed
to be used in a motor vehicle.
If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal
motor vehicle safety standards. The restraint manufacturer's
instructions that come with the
restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular
child restraint. In addition, there
are many kinds of restraints
available for children with
special needs.
{WARNING
To reduce the risk of neck and
head injury during a crash,
infants need complete support.
This is because an infant's neck
is not fully developed and its head
weighs so much compared with
the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing child
restraint settles into the restraint,
so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest
part of an infant's body, the back
and shoulders. Infants should
always be secured in rear-facing
child restraints.
{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.

Black plate (49,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-49
Child Restraint Systems
(A) Rear‐Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat (A)
provides restraint with the seating
surface against the back of the
infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint.
(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat (B)
provides restraint for the child's
body with the harness.(C) Booster Seats
A booster seat (C) is a child
restraint designed to improve
the fit of the vehicle's safety belt
system. A booster seat can also
help a child to see out the window.

Black plate (50,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-50 Seats and Restraints
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 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 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. See
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑52 for more information.
Children 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. In some areas, Certified
Child Passenger Safety
Technicians (CPSTs) are available
to inspect and demonstrate how
to correctly use and install child
restraints. In the U.S., refer to the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website
to locate the nearest child safety
seat inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.
Securing the Child within the
Child Restraint
{WARNING
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.

Black plate (51,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-51
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.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates 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.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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 3‑37 for additional
information.
When securing a child restraint in
a rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with your
child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Always make
sure the child restraint is properly
secured.

Black plate (52,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-52 Seats and Restraints
Depending on where you place
the child restraint and the size of
the child restraint, you may not
be able to access adjacent safety
belt assemblies or LATCH anchors
for additional passengers or
child restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to
or interferes with the routing of
the safety belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to secure the
child restraint properly.
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 your vehicle—even when no
child is in it.Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system holds a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
This system is designed to make
installation of a child restraint easier.
The LATCH system uses anchors in
the vehicle and attachments on the
child restraint that are made for use
with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible
child restraint is properly installed
using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual. When installing a child restraint
with a top tether, you must also
use either the lower anchors or the
safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH
system in the vehicle, you need
a child restraint that has LATCH
attachments. The child restraint
manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the
child restraint and its attachments.
The following explains how to
attach a child restraint with these
attachments in the vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.