1996 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual - Page 14

Safety Belts: They're for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how touse safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. (See "Safety Belt Reminder Light" in the Index.) And it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR), or air bag system. Don't letanyone ride where he or she can't wear a safety beltproperly. If you are in a crash and you're not wearing a safety belt,your injuries can be much worse.You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be if yon are buckled up. Always fasten your satety belt,and check that your passengers' belts are fastened properly too. In most states and Canadian provinces, the law saysto wear safety belts. Here's why: They work. You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are.mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can surviveand sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After more than 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ...a lot!