BEFORE DRIVING
* Never allow persons to ride in the
cargo area of a vehicle. In the event
of an accident, there is a much
greater risk of injury for persons
who are not riding in a seat with
their seat belt securely fastened.
* Seat belts should always be ad-
justed so the lap portion of the belt
is worn low across the pelvis, not
across the waist. Shoulder straps
should be worn on the outside
shoulder only, and never under the
arm. Seat belts should never be
worn with the straps twisted and
should be adjusted as tightly as is
comfortable to provide the protec-
tion for which they have been
designed. A slack belt will provide
less protection than one which is
snug.
* Make sure that each seat belt
buckle is inserted into the proper
buckle catch. It is possible to cross
the buckles in the rear seat.
* Do not wear your seat belt over
hard or breakable objects in your
pockets or on your clothing. If an
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accident occurs, objects such as
glasses, pens, etc. under the seat
belt can cause injury.
* Never use the same seat belt on
more than one occupant and never
attach a seat belt over an infant or
child being held on an occupant's
lap. Such seat belt use could cause
serious injury in the event of an ac-
cident.
* Pregnant women should use seat
belts, although specific recommen-
dations about restraint use should
be made by the woman's physi-
cian.
* Periodically inspect seat belt as-
semblies for excessive wear and
damage. Seat belts should be re-
placed if webbing becomes frayed,
contaminated, or damaged in any
way. It is essential to replace the
entire seat belt assembly after it
has been worn in a severe impact,
even if damage to the assembly is
not obvious.
* Infants and small children should
never be transported unless they
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are properly restrained. Restrain
systems for infants and small child-
ren can be purchased commercially
and should be used. Make sure that
the system you purchase meets
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards. Read and follow all the
directions provided by the manu-
facturer.
* Avoid contamination of seat belt
webbing by polishes, oils, chemi-
cals, and particularly battery acid.
Cleaning may safely be carried out
using mild soap and water.
* For children, if the shoulder belt ir-
ritates the neck or face, move the
child closer to the center of the
vehicle.
* Seatbacks should always be in a
fairly upright position when the
vehicle is being used, or seat belt
effectiveness may be reduced.
Seat belts are designed to offer
maximum protection when seat-
backs are in the fully upright
position.
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