Correct Use Of The Seat Belt - SMART Fortwo Owner's Manual

If a child under twelve years of age and less
than 1.50 m tall is travelling in the vehicle:
• always secure the child in a child
restraint system suitable for this smart
vehicle .
The child restraint system must be
appropriate to the age, weight and size
of the child.
• always observe the instructions and
safety notes on "Children in the vehicle "
in this Owner 's Manual
(I>
page
44)
in
addition to the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
Lt,_
WARNING
Seat belts cannot protect as i ntended, if:
• they are damaged, have been modified,
are extremely dirty, bleached or dyed
• the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely di rty
• modifications have been made to the belt
tensioners, belt anchorages or inertia
reels
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage
in an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters.
Modified or damaged seat belts can tear or
fail, for exampl e in the event of an acci-
dent. Modified seat belt tensioners may be
deployed unintentionally or fail to be
deployed when required. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even
fatal.
Never modify safety belts, seat belt ten-
sioners, seat belt anchorages and inertia
reels. Ensure that seat belts are not dam-
aged or worn and are clean. After an acci-
dent, have the seat belts checked immedi-
ately at a qualified special ist workshop.
smart recommends that you only use seat
belts which have been approved specifi-
cally for your vehicle by smart. Any such
modi fications could invalidate the vehi-
cle's general operating permit.
Occupant safety
39
Correct use of the seat belt
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(I>
page
38).
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 buckle belonging to that seat.
• the seat belt is tight across your body.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing , e.g. a win-
ter coat.
• the seat belt is not twisted.
Only then can forces which occur be dis-
tributed across the surface of the seat
belt.
• the shoulder section of the belt is always
routed across the centre of your shoul-
der.
The shoulder section of the seat belt
should not touch your neck nor be routed
under your arm .
• the lap belt passes across your lap as
tightly and as low down as possible.
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and never across your
abdomen. This applies particularly to
pregnant women. If necessary, press the
lap belt down into your hip joints and
pull tight with the shoulder section of
the belt.
• the seat belt is not routed across sharp,
pointed or fragile objects.
If
you have such i terns located on or in
your clothing, e.g . pens, keys or specta-
cles, store these in a suitable place.
• only one person is using a seat belt.
Infants and children must never travel
sitting on the lap of a vehicle occupant.
In the event of an accident, they could be