1996 Buick Century Owner's Manual - Page 27

The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stop or acrash. It's possible that an automatic belt could keep you from fully opening a door. That can happen if the door was slammed shut very hard. Just closethe door all the way, then slowly open it. If that doesn't fix it, then your Buick needs service. We hope you'll always keep your automatic belt buckled. However, you may need to unbuckle it in an emergency. And you would need to unbuckle it to let someone get into the center front seat position, if your vehicle has one. The lapbelt should be worn as low on the hips as possible. In a crash, this applies forceto the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less likely to slide under the lap belt.If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or fatal even injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across thechest. These parts of the body are best able to take restraining forces. belt