1998 Chevrolet Express Van Owner's Manual - Page 34

If it doesn't say AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering wheel, your vehicle doesn't have air bags. If your vehicle has an air bag for the driver, the air bag is a "Next Generation'' reduced-force frontal air bag. If your vehicle has an air bagfor the right front passenger and there's alabel on the driver's side window, then your vehicle has a "Next Generation" reduced-force frontal air bag for the right front passenger. If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front passenger but it doesn't have a label, then the rightfront passenger's air bag isn't reduced-force. Reduced-force frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very quickly if they are to do their job and comply with federal regulations. Here are the most important things to know about the air bag system: You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if you aren't wearing yoursafety belt even if you have air bags. Wearing yoursafety belt during a crash helps reduce your chance hitting of things insidethe vehicle or being ejected from it. Air bags are "supplemental restraints" to the safety belts. All air bags even reduced-force air bags are designed to work with safety belts, but don't replace them.Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits something. They aren't designed to inflate at all in rollover, rear, sideor low-speed frontal crashes. And, for unrestrained occupants, reduced-forceair bags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags have providedin the past.. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly whether or not there's an air bag for thatperson. -- -- -- -- 1-27