Fastening - Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Operator's Manual

Occupant safety
48
section, as that could result in serious
injuries in the event of an accident.
All occupants should wear their seat belt at
R
all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, even if the vehicle
rolls over. The integrated restraint system
is equipped with SRS (driver's air bag, front-
passenger air bag, thorax side impact air
bags, window curtain air bags for side
windows), Emergency Tensioning Devices
and seat belt force limiters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to occupants who are
properly secured during certain frontal
impacts (front air bags and Emergency
Tensioning Devices) and side impacts
(thorax side impact air bags, window
curtain air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Device) that exceed preset deployment
thresholds, as well as in certain situations
where the vehicle rolls over (window
curtain air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Device).
Never route the shoulder section of the
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seat belt under your arm, across your neck
or anywhere other than across your
shoulder. In the event of a frontal impact,
your body would be moved too far forward.
This would increase the risk of head and
neck injuries. The seat belt would then
apply excessive force to the ribs or
abdomen, which could cause severe
internal injuries to organs such as the liver
or spleen.
Adjust the seat belt so that the upper part
of the belt is as close as possible to the
center of the shoulder. It should not touch
the neck. Never route the belt under the
shoulder. The height of the belt outlet can
be altered to ensure correct usage.
The lap belt should be routed as low as
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possible across the hips, not across the
abdomen. If the lap belt is routed across the
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries in
the event of an impact.
Never route the seat belt over rigid or
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fragile objects in or on your clothing, such
as eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as this could
cause injuries.
Always ensure that the seat belt is routed
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correctly. This is particularly important if
you are wearing loose clothing.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
R
person at a time. Never route a seat belt
around more than one person or additional
objects.
Never wear seat belts if they are twisted.
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Otherwise, in the event of an impact, the
full width of the seat belt is unavailable to
distribute the force of the impact. The
twisted seat belt routed across your body
could cause injuries.
Pregnant women should also always use a
R
three-point seat belt. The lap belt must
always pass across your lap as low down as
possible, i.e. across your hips; not across
your abdomen.
The backrest should be set as close to
R
vertical as possible.
Check the seat belt during the journey in
R
order to make sure that it is correctly
positioned.
Never place your feet on the instrument
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panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat.
When using a seat belt to secure an infant
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restraint system, child restraint system or
a child on a booster seat, always follow the
child restraint system manufacturer's
instructions.
Fastening/unfastening the seat belts
G WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained on the rear
seats than on the front-passenger seat. Thus,
we strongly recommend that children be
placed in the rear seat whenever possible.
Regardless of seating position, children 12
years old and under must be seated and