Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2011 Owner's Manual page 47

Occupant safety
44
How the airbag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the collision detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
head-on collision
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side impact
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overturn
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The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen-
tially determined by:
the distribution of forces during the colli-
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sion
the collision angle
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the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
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cle
the characteristics of the object with which
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the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of airbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, without an airbag
being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec-
ted and the rate of deceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle parts such as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficient deceleration
occurs as a result.
Airbags
Important safety notes
Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang and a small amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The 6 SRS warning lamp
lights up.
The airbag installation locations are identified
by the AIRBAG symbol.
G
WARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk
of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
all vehicle occupants – in particular, preg-
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nant women – must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against
the backrest, which should be positioned
as close to the vertical as possible. The
head restraint must support the back of the
head at about eye level.
always secure children less than
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1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age in suit-
able child restraint systems.
all vehicle occupants must select a seat
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position that is as far away from the airbag
as possible. The driver's seat position must
allow the vehicle to be driven safely. The
driver's chest should be as far away from
the centre of the driver's airbag cover as
possible.
move the front-passenger seat as far back
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as possible. This is especially important if
you have secured a child in a child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
vehicle occupants – in particular, children
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– must not lean their heads into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
rearward-facing child restraint systems
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must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if a child restraint system with a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition
is fitted to the front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic child seat