2012 BUICK REGAL Owner's Manual

Black plate (11,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-11
WARNING (Continued)
It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑13 for additional information.
Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the safety belts. That is why wearing
safety belts makes 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.
Your chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted.
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.

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3-12 Seats and Restraints
Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
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 3‑34 orInfants
and Young Children on page 3‑36.
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.
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.
.Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you.
.Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
.Wear the lap part of the belt 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.
.Wear the shoulder belt 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.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.

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Seats and Restraints 3-13
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat isadjustable, 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.3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks. 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 3‑20.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster”
later in this section for
instructions on use and
important safety information.

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3-14 Seats and Restraints
4. To make the lap part tight, pullup on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions. Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. See
How
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑12.Press the release button and move
the height adjuster to the desired
position. The adjuster can be moved
up by pushing the slide/trim up.

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Seats and Restraints 3-15
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pushing the release button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met.
And, if the vehicle has side impact
airbags, safety belt pretensioners
can help tighten the safety belts in a
side crash or a rollover event.Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced. Other
parts of the vehicle's safety belt
system may need to be replaced as
well. See
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts after a Crash on
page 3‑20.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear safety belt comfort guides may
provide added safety belt comfort
for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for
some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
This vehicle may come with either
an adjustable comfort guide or
comfort guides sewn into the side of
the rear outboard seatback. Adjustable Safety Belt Comfort
GuideOn vehicles with the adjustable
comfort guide, one guide is
provided. Additional adjustable
comfort guides are available through
your dealer.

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3-16 Seats and Restraints
To install the adjustable safety belt
comfort guide to the seatback and
the safety belt:
1. Locate the anchorage loopbetween the rear outboard
seatback and seat bolster, near
the top.
2. Attach the adjustable comfortguide to the anchor loop by
threading the hook through
the loop.3. Place the guide over the belt,and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.

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Seats and Restraints 3-17
4. Be sure that the belt is nottwisted and it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be under the
belt and the guide on top.
5. The elastic cord on the comfort guide is adjustable. You can
make it longer or shorter by
squeezing both ends of the
plastic adjuster and pulling on
the elastic cord or the guide. 6. Adjust the guide so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the
shoulder and not falling off of it.
The belt should be close to, but
not contacting, the neck.
Improper comfort guide
adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in
a crash.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. 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.7. Buckle, position, and release
the safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure that the shoulder belt
crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt
can be removed from the guide.
Un-hook the guide from the loop
on the seat. Store the guide in a
convenient place like the glove box
for the next time it is needed.

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3-18 Seats and Restraints
Sewn‐in Safety Belt Comfort
Guide
On vehicles with the sewn‐in
comfort guide, there is one guide for
each outboard passenger position in
the rear seat.To install a comfort guide to the
safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its
storage pocket on the side of
the seat.
2. Place the guide over the belt,and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.
3. Be sure that the belt is nottwisted and it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be under the
belt and the guide on top.