Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2009 Owner's Manual page 37

Occupant safety
34
Occupant safety
Notes on occupant safety
Seat belts, together with belt tensioners, belt
force limiters and airbags, are complemen-
tary, coordinated restraint systems. They
reduce the risk of injury in specific, pre-
defined types of accident situations and
thereby increase occupant safety. However,
seat belts and airbags generally do not pro-
tect against objects penetrating the vehicle
from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, make
sure that:
the seat and head restraint are adjusted
R
properly ( page 66).
Y
the seat belt has been fastened properly
R
( page 76).
Y
the airbags can inflate properly if they are
R
deployed ( page 37).
Y
the steering wheel is adjusted properly
R
( page 71).
Y
the restraint systems have not been modi-
R
fied.
i
An airbag increases the protection of
vehicle occupants wearing a seat belt.
However, airbags are only an additional
restraint system which complements, but
does not replace, the seat belt. All vehicle
occupants must wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times, even if the vehicle is
equipped with airbags. This is because – on
the one hand – airbags are not deployed in
all types of accident, as in some situations
airbag deployment would not increase the
protection afforded to vehicle occupants,
provided they are wearing their seat belt
correctly. On the other hand, airbag deploy-
ment only provides increased protection if
the seat belt is worn correctly because:
the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
R
occupant in the best position in relation
to the airbag.
for example, in a head-on collision, the
R
seat belt can more adequately prevent
the occupant from being propelled
towards the point of the impact, and is
thus better suited to prevent injury.
Therefore, in accident situations where an
airbag is deployed, it only provides protec-
tion in addition to the seat belt if the seat
belt is being worn correctly.
G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have maintenance work carried out at
a qualified specialist workshop which has the
necessary specialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this pur-
pose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out at
a qualified specialist workshop. If this work is
not carried out correctly, the operating safety
of your vehicle may be affected. There is a risk
of an accident and injury.
G
Risk of injury
The restraint system may not work as inten-
ded if the following components have been
modified or work on these components has
not been performed correctly:
restraint system, consisting of the seat
R
belts and anchorages, belt tensioners, belt
force limiters, airbags
wiring
R
networked electronic systems
R
Airbags or belt tensioners could then fail, e.g.
in the event of an accident in which the decel-
eration force would normally be high enough
to trigger the systems, or they could be trig-
gered unintentionally. Never carry out any
modifications on the restraint systems.