1997 Pontiac Grand Am Owner's Manual - Page 15

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outsideof a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured orkilled. Do not allow peopleto ride in any area your vehicle that is not of equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is ina seat andusing a safety belt properly. Your vehicle has a light that comes on asa reminder to buckle up. (See "Safety Belt Reminder Light" in the Index.) In most states and Canadianprovinces, the law saysto wear safety belts. Here's why:They work. You never knowif you'll be ina crash. If you do have a crash, you don't know it will be a bad one. if A few crashes are mild, and some crashes be so can serious that even buckled up person wouldn't survive. a But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can surviveand sometimes walk away. been badly hurt orkilled. Without belts they could have After more than 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ...a lot! 1-8