2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV seats

Black plate (20,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-20 Seats and Restraints
Get it up to speed. Then stop the
vehicle. The rider does not stop. The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In a real
vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel...

Black plate (21,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-21
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. 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: You could be — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not. But
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater 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 work with
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
40 km (25 mi) of home. And the
greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at
speeds of less than
65 km/h (40 mph).
Safety belts are for everyone.

Black plate (22,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-22 Seats and Restraints
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, see Older Children on
page 3 ‑ 51 or Infants and Young
Children on page 3 ‑ 53 . 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. 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 floor in front of you. The
lap part of the belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just touching 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.

Black plate (23,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-23Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose.
It will not give as much
protection this way. { WARNINGYou can be seriously hurt if the
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. Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The lap belt is too loose. It will
not give nearly as much
protection this way.

Black plate (24,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-24 Seats and Restraints
{ WARNINGYou can be seriously hurt if the
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. { WARNINGYou can be seriously injured if the
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 the belt into the
buckle nearest you.

Black plate (25,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-25Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The belt is over an armrest.
{ WARNINGYou can be seriously injured if the
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. 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.

Black plate (26,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
3-26 Seats and Restraints
{ WARNINGYou 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.
{ WARNINGYou 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.

Black plate (27,1)Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27Q: 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. Lap-Shoulder Belt All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt except for
the center front passenger position,
if equipped, which has a lap belt.
See Lap Belt on page 3 ‑ 33 for more
information.
The lap ‐ shoulder belts for the first
and second row seating positions
are equipped with free ‐ falling latch
plates. If the vehicle has a third row,
the lap ‐ shoulder belts have either
free ‐ falling or cinching latch plates. Use the following pictures to
determine the latch plate style:
Free-Falling Latch Plate