Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Operator's Manual page 56

Occupant safety
54
i See "Children in the vehicle"
( page 58) for further information on
Y
infants and children traveling in the vehicle
as well as on child restraint systems.
G 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.
G WARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended
protective function if:
they are damaged, modified, extremely
R
dirty, bleach or dyed
the seat belt buckle is damaged or
R
extremely dirty
the Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
R
anchorages or inertia reels have been modi-
fied
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in
an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters. Modi-
fied or damaged seat belts may tear or fail,
e.g. in an accident. Modified Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices could accidentally trigger or
fail to deploy when necessary. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify the seat belts, Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices, belt anchorages or inertia
reels. Make sure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not worn out and clean. Follow-
ing an accident, have the seat belts checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. Any such
modifications could invalidate the vehicle's
general operating permit.
The use of seat belts and child restraint sys-
tems is required by law in:
all 50 states
R
the U.S. territories
R
the District of Columbia
R
all Canadian provinces
R
Even where this is not required by law, all
vehicle occupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey.
i
See "Children in the vehicle"
( page 58) for further information on
Y
infants and children traveling in the vehicle,
as well as on child restraint systems.
Proper use of the seat belts
G WARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
Seat belts can only work when used prop-
R
erly. Never wear seat belts in any other way
than as described in this section, as that
could result in serious injuries in the event
of an accident.
Each occupant should wear their seat belt
R
at all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, including rollovers.
The integrated restraint system includes
SRS (driver front air bag, driver's side knee
bag, front-passenger front air bag, side
impact air bags, pelvis air bags, window
curtain air bags for the side windows),
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat belt
force limiters, and front seat knee bolsters.
The system is designed to enhance the pro-
tection offered to properly belted occu-
pants in certain frontal (front air bags, driv-
er's side knee bag, and ETDs) and side (side
impact air bags, pelvis air bags, window
curtain air bags, and ETDs) impacts which
exceed preset deployment thresholds.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your
R
arm, across your neck or off your shoulder.