Pontiac 1996 Grand Am Owner's Manual page 15

Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety b'elts
properly, It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS),
or air bag
system.
-
-
A
CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear
a safety belt properly. If you are
in a
crash and
you're not wearing
a
safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts
are fastened properly too.
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See "Safety Belt
Reminder Light" in the
Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here's why: They work.
You never know if you'll be
in a
crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be
a
bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 25 years of safety belts
in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
...
a
lot!
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