Mercedes-Benz C-Class Operator's Manual page 50

Occupant safety
48
seat, the front-passenger front air bag is ena-
bled or deactivated (
observe the notes on "Seat
belts" ( page 48) and "Air bags"
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( page 51). There you can also find infor-
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mation on the correct seat position.
Seat belts
Introduction
A correctly fastened seat belt is the most effec-
tive means of restraining the movement of vehi-
cle occupants in the event of an accident or the
vehicle rolling over. This reduces the risk of
vehicle occupants coming into contact with
parts of the vehicle interior or being thrown from
the vehicle. Furthermore, the seat belt helps to
keep the vehicle occupants in the best position
in relation to the air bag.
The seat belt system consists of:
Seat belts
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Emergency Tensioning Devices for the front
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seat belts and the outer seat belts in the rear
compartment
Seat belt force limiters for the front seat belts
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and the outer seat belts in the rear
If the seat belt is pulled quickly or suddenly from
the belt outlet, the inertia reel locks. The belt
strap cannot be pulled out further.
Emergency Tensioning Devices tighten the seat
belts in an accident, pulling them close against
the occupant's body. They do not, however, pull
vehicle occupants back towards the backrest.
Emergency Tensioning Devices do not correct
an incorrect seat position or incorrectly worn
seat belts.
When triggered, the seat belt force limiter
reduces the force exerted by the seat belt on the
vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front air bags, which
absorb part of the deceleration force. This
makes it possible to reduce the forces to which
vehicle occupants are subjected during an acci-
dent.
!
If the front-passenger seat is unoccupied,
do not insert the belt tongue into the buckle of
the front-passenger seat. This may otherwise
lead to the triggering of the Emergency Ten-
sioning Device in the event of an accident,
which will then need to be replaced.
page 54). Be sure to
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Important safety notes
The use of seat belts and child restraint systems
is required by law in:
all 50 states
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the U.S. territories
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the District of Columbia
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all Canadian provinces
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Even where this is not required by law, all vehicle
occupants should correctly fasten their seat
belts before starting the journey.
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WARNING
If the seat belt is incorrectly fastened, it can-
not protect as intended. Furthermore, an
incorrectly fastened seat belt can cause addi-
tional injury, for example, in an accident, dur-
ing braking or when abruptly changing direc-
tion. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
Make sure that all vehicle occupants are
seated properly with a correctly fastened seat
belt.
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WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal
injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
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WARNING
Persons under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height cannot
fasten the seat belt correctly without an addi-
tional suitable restraint system. If the seat
belt is incorrectly fastened, it cannot protect
as intended. Furthermore, an incorrectly fas-
tened seat belt can cause additional injury, for
example, in an accident, during braking or an