Page 49 of 470
Black plate (17,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose. It will not give as
much protection this way.
{WARNING:
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 fit snugly against your body.
2-17
Page 50 of 470
Black plate (18,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose. It will not give nearly as
much protection this way.
{WARNING:
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.
2-18
Page 51 of 470
Black plate (19,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong buckle.
{WARNING:
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.
2-19
Page 52 of 470
Black plate (20,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
{WARNING:
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.
2-20
Page 53 of 470
Black plate (21,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
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.
{WARNING:
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.
2-21
Page 54 of 470
Black plate (22,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
{WARNING:
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.
2-22
Page 55 of 470
Black plate (23,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across the body.
{WARNING:
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 to fix it.
2-23
Page 56 of 470

Black plate (24,1)Cadillac DTS Owner Manual - 2011
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 2‑29for 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. See Passenger
Sensing System
on page 2‑64for 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, see Safety Belt
Extender
on page 2‑31.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
2-24