Chevrolet 1970 Owner's Manual page 38

PULL TO
I
PRESS HERE TO RELEASE
retractor equipped belts, pull the re-
tractor half of the belt to a solid stop
to make sure that the belt webbing is
completely unwound from the retrac-
tor drum, then connect the belt and
make the necessary adjustments at
the buckle for proper fit. To lengthen
a lap belt, place the buckle at right
angles to the belt webbing. The belt
will then slide easily through the
buckle. To release the lap belt, simply
depress the push button located in the
center of the buckle.
Automatic-locking lap belt retrac-
tors are provided for the added con-
venience of the driver and outboard
front seat passenger on all Chevrolet
cars as an extra cost option. The
automatic-locking retractors adjust
and lock the lap belts into position
automatically to provide a snug and
comfortable fit.
To fasten a lap belt equipped with
an automatic-locking retractor, pull
the webbing across the hlp far enough
to permit inserting the flat metal
"eye"
end into the buckle. If the web-
bing is not initially pulled out far
enough to permit buckling, release
the webbing, thus allOWing it to re-
wind in the retractor and release the
locking mechanism, so the webbing
can be pulled out to the proper length.
Once the buckle is fastened, pull the
belt firmly across the lap in the direc-
tion of the retractor to obtain a snug
fit. The retractor will automatically
take up the excess webbing.
CAUTION: The buckle and flat metal
"eye"
of. the lap belt used with automatic lock-
ing retractors are smaller than those used
with other systems. Care should be taken
35
to
avoid inserting the small metal
"eye"
in the larger buckle of either the shoulder
belt or the center lap belt because it will
not latch properly.
CAUTION: Never use the same belt for
more than one person at a time. Be sure
to
avoid:
(a)
wearing
a
lap belt loosely or
with slack in the system; (b) wearing the
belt with the webbing not fully extracted
from a non-locking retractor; and (c)
wearing the belt in
a
twisted condition
or pinched between the seat stluctural
(metallic) members.
Shoulder Belts-When properly worn
with a lap belt, a shoulder belt can
provide additional protection against
impact with the car interior by re-
straining forward motion of the upper
torso in a collision. This is primarily
true in case of frontal impacts, which
are the most frequent type of accident.
CAUTION: Wearing a shoulder belt with-
out a lap belt can be extremely hazardous
to the wearer in case of an accident. In
addition, the use of a
shoulder belt is not
recommended for a person less than
4
feet 7 inches in height because the belt
would cross over the body too near the
neck and thereby substantially increase
the danger of neck injury in a collision.