Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Operating Instructions Manual page 36

Occupant safety
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Always observe the instructions about the correct
driver's seat position and adjusting the seat
( page 66).
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In order for the correctly worn seat belt to provide
the intended level of protection, each vehicle occu-
pant must observe the following information:
The seat belt must not be twisted and must fit
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tightly and snugly across the body.
The seat belt must be routed across the center
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of the shoulder and as low down across the
hips as possible.
The shoulder section of the seat belt should
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not touch your neck nor be routed under your
arm or behind your back.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
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coat.
Push the lap belt down as far as possible
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across your hips and pull tight with the shoul-
der section of the belt. Never route the lap belt
across your abdomen.
Pregnant women must also take particular care
with this.
Never route the seat belt across sharp, poin-
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ted, abrasive or fragile objects.
Only one person should use each seat belt at
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any one time.
Never secure objects with a seat belt if the
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seat belt is being used by one of the vehicle's
occupants.
Also ensure that no objects, e.g. a cushion, are
ever placed between a person and the seat.
The seat belts on the following seats are equipped
with a child seat safety feature:
Co-driver seat
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Rear seats
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Activate or deactivate the child seat safety feature
of the seat belt ( page 41).
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If children are traveling in the vehicle, always
observe the instructions and safety notes on "Chil-
dren in the vehicle" ( page 39).
/
Always observe the instructions for loading the
vehicle when securing objects, luggage or loads
( page 207).
/
Limitations of the protection provided by the seat
belt
& WARNING Risk of injury or death due to an
incorrect seat position
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection if you have not moved the seat
backrest to an almost vertical position.
In particular, you could slip beneath the seat-
belt and become injured.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
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your journey.
Always ensure that the seat backrest is
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in an almost vertical position and that
the shoulder belt is routed across the
center of your shoulder.
& WARNING Risk of injury or death when
additional restraint systems are not used
for persons with a smaller stature
Persons under 5 ft (1.50 m ) tall cannot wear
the seat belt correctly without a suitable addi-
tional restraint system.
Always secure persons under 5 ft
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(1.50 m) tall in a suitable restraint sys-
tem.
& WARNING Risk of injury or death due to
damaged or modified seat belts
Seat belts cannot provide protection in the fol-
lowing situations:
The seat belt is damaged, has been modi-
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fied, is extremely dirty, bleached or dyed
The seat belt buckle is damaged or
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extremely dirty
Modifications have been made to the
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Emergency Tensioning Device, seat belt
anchorage or seat belt retractor
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in
an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters.
Modified or damaged seat belts could tear or
fail in the event of an accident, for example.
Modified Emergency Tensioning Devices could
accidentally trigger or fail to function as inten-
ded.
Never modify the seat belt system, for
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example the seat belt, seat belt buckle,