Adjusting; Safe Seated Position; Head Restraint; Seat Belt - BMW 318i Owner's Handbook Manual

Adjusting

Safe seated position

A seated position that suitably reflects your
requirements is a vital condition of relaxed driv-
ing with a minimum of fatigue. In conjunction
with the seat belts, the head restraints and the
airbags, the seated position has a major influ-
ence on your safety in the event of an accident.
You should therefore observe the following
notes in order to maintain the protective func-
tion of the car's safety systems.
For additional notes on child safety, see
page 40.
Airbags
Keep your distance from the airbags.
Always grip the steering wheel on the rim,
with your hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock
positions, to minimise the risk of injury to the
hands or arms in the event of the airbag being
triggered off.
No other persons, pets or objects should be
held or permitted to remain between the airbag
and yourself.
Do not use the front airbag cover on the front
passenger's side as a tray. Make sure that the
front passenger adopts a correct seated posi-
tion, e.g. does not rest feet or legs on the instru-
ment panel; otherwise he/she could sustain leg
injuries in the event of the front airbag being
triggered.
Make sure that passengers do not lean their
heads against the side or head airbags; other-
wise they could be injured should the airbags
deploy.<
Even if all these instructions are complied with,
certain injuries as a result of contact with the
airbag cannot be entirely ruled out, depending
on the circumstances in which an accident
occurs. Occupants with sensitive hearing may
be subject to brief and generally temporary
impaired hearing caused by the ignition and
inflation noise.
32
Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 0 013 257 - © 02/07 BMW AG
The locations of the airbags and additional
notes are given on page 76.

Head restraint

A correctly positioned head restraint reduces
the risk of neck injury in the event of an acci-
dent.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way
that its centre is at approximately ear
level; otherwise, there is an increased risk of
injury should an accident
Head restraints, see page 34.

Seat belt

Before driving off, always make sure that all
occupants have fastened their seat belts. The
airbags are a complementary safety feature and
not a substitute for the seat belts.
Never restrain more than one person with
each seat belt. Babies or small children
must not travel on the lap of another occupant.
Make sure that the belt in the pelvic area is well
down on the hips and does not press on the
abdomen.
The seat belt must not be worn touching the
neck, pass over sharp edges or hard or fragile
objects, or become trapped at any point. Avoid
twisting the seat belt, pull it tight across the pel-
vis and shoulder, and keep it as close to the
body as possible; otherwise the belt in the pel-
vic area could slip over the hips and injure the
abdomen in the event of a frontal collision.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and regularly pull
the belt in the upper-body area taut, otherwise
its restraining effect could be impaired.
Touring: if the rear centre seat belt is used, the
wider backrest must be locked in position, see
page 100, otherwise the centre seat belt will not
have any restraining effect.<
Seat belts, see page 37.
occur.<