Fiat 500 Owner's Handbook Manual page 85

GETTING TO
KNOW YOUR
If the belt has been subjected to heavy
CAR
stress, for example after an accident,
it should be changed completely together with
the anchors, anchor fastening screws and
SAFETY
pretensioner. In fact, even if the belt has no
visible defects, it could have lost its resilience.
STARTING AND
SEAT BELTS MAINTENANCE
DRIVING
For keeping the seat belts in efficient conditions,
observe the following:
WARNING
❒ always use the belt with the strap well stretched
LIGHTS AND
and never twisted; make sure that it is free to
MESSAGES
run without obstructions;
❒ replace the belt after an accident of a certain
IN AN
severity even if it does not appear to be damaged.
EMERGENCY
Always replace the belt if the pretensioners were
deployed;
❒ to clean the belt, wash by hand with water and
SERVICING AND
neutral soap, rinse and leave to dry in the shade.
MAINTENANCE
Never use strong detergents, bleach, paints or any
other substance which could damage the belt
fibres;
TECHNICAL
❒ prevent the reels from getting wet: their correct
SPECIFICATIONS
operation is only guaranteed if water does not
get inside
❒ replace the seat belt when it shows wear or cuts.
INDEX
84
WARNING
CARRYING CHILDREN SAFELY
For optimal protection in the event of a collision, all
passengers must be seated and wearing adequate
restraint systems.
This is even more important for children.
This prescription is compulsory in all EC countries
according to EC Directive 2003/20/EC.
Compared with adults, a child's head is
proportionally larger and heavier than the rest of the
body, while muscles and bone structure are not
fully developed.
Therefore, correct restraint systems are necessary
which are different from adult seat belts.
The results of research on the best child restraint
systems are contained in the European Standard
ECE-R44, which enforces the use of restraint
systems classified into five groups:
Group
Group 0
Group 0+
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Weight groups
up to 10 kg of weight
up to 13 kg of weight
9-18 kg in weight
15-25 kg in weight
22-36 kg of weight