Fastening - Mercedes-Benz SL Operator's Manual

Occupant safety
42
G
WARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended
protective function if:
they are damaged, modified, extremely
R
dirty, bleached 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 be damaged in an accident,
although the damage may not be visible, e.g.
due to splinters of glass. Modified or damaged
seat belts may tear or fail, e.g. in an accident.
Modified Emergency Tensioning 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 and 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.
Proper use of the seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
( page 41).
Y
All vehicle occupants must be wearing the seat
belt correctly before beginning the journey. Also
make sure that all vehicle occupants are always
wearing the seat belt correctly while the vehicle
is in motion.
When fastening the seat belt, always make sure
that:
the seat belt tongue is only inserted to the belt
R
buckle belonging to that seat.
the seat belt is tight across your body.
R
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
the seat belt is not twisted.
R
Only then can the forces which occur be dis-
tributed over the area of the belt.
the shoulder section of the belt is always
R
routed across the center of your shoulder.
The shoulder section of the belt must not
come into contact with your neck or be routed
under your arm.
the lap belt passes tightly and as low down as
R
possible across your lap.
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and not across your abdomen.
This applies particularly to pregnant women.
If necessary, push the lap belt down to your
hip joint and pull it tight using the shoulder
section of the belt.
the seat belt is not routed across sharp, poin-
R
ted or fragile objects.
If you have such items located on or in your
clothing, e.g. pens, keys or eyeglasses, store
these in a suitable place.
only one person is using a seat belt at a time.
R
Infants and children must never travel sitting
on the lap of a vehicle occupant. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat belt.
objects are never secured with a seat belt if
R
the seat belt is also being used by one of the
vehicle's occupants.
Also ensure that there are never objects
between a person and the seat, e.g. cushions.
Seat belts are only intended to secure and
restrain vehicle occupants. Always observe the
notes in the "Stowage options/compartments"
section for securing objects, luggage or loads
( page 246).
Y
Fastening seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
( page 41) and the notes on correct use of seat
Y
belts ( page 42).
Y