1999 Chevrolet Express Van Owner's Manual - Page 32

yellowblue If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering wheel but it doesn't say AIR BAG on the instrument panel in front of the right front passenger's seat, your vehicle has a "Next Generation" frontal air bag for the driver only. If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering wheel, but there is no right front passenger seat, your vehicle has a "Next Generation" frontal air bag for the driver only. If it doesn't say AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering wheel, your vehicle doesn't have air bags. Next Generation 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: CAUTION: You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if you aren't wearing your safety belt -- even if you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air bags are "supplemental restraints" to the safety belts. All air bags -- even Next Generation 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, side or low-speed frontal crashes. And, for unrestrained occupants, Next Generation air bags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags have provided in the past. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly -- whether or not there's an air bag for that person. 1-26