FIAT Croma - Manual (Page 113)

112
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
W
ARNING
LIGHTS AND MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICA
TIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD AND CONTROLS
SAFETY DEVICES
HOW TO KEEP THE SEAT
BELTS ALWAYS IN EFFICIENT
CONDITIONS
❒ Always use the belt with the tape taut
and never twisted; make sure that it is
free to run without impediments.
❒ After a serious accident, replace the
belt being worn at that time, even if
it does not appear damaged. Always
replace the seat belts if pretensioners
have been activated.
❒ To clean the belts, wash by hand with
neutral soap, rinse and leave to dry in
the shade. Never use strong deter-
gents, bleach or dyes or other chem-
ical substance that might weaken the
fibres.
❒ Prevent the reels from getting wet:
their correct operation is only guar-
anteed if water does not get inside.
❒ Replace the seat belt when showing
significant wear or cut signs.
CARRYING CHILDREN
SAFELY
For optimal protection in the event of a
crash, 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, their head is pro-
portionally larger and heavier than the rest
of the body, while the muscles and bone
structure are not completely developed.
Therefore, correct restraint systems are
necessary, other than adult seat belts. The
results of research on the best child re-
straint systems are contained in the Euro-
pean Standard EEC-R44. This Standard en-
forces the use of restraint systems classi-
fied in five groups:
Group 0 - 0-10 kg in weight
Group 0+ - 0-13 kg in weight
Group 1 9-18 kg in weight
Group 2 15-25 kg in weight
Group 3 22-36 kg in weight
If the belt has been subject-
ed to heavy stress, for ex-
ample after and accident, it should be
changed completely together with
the anchors, anchor fastening screws
and the pretensioners. In fact, even if
the belt has no visible defects, it could
have lost its resilience.
WARNING
Never travel with a child sit-
ting on the passenger’s lap
with a single belt to protect them
both. Do not fasten other objects to
the body.
WARNING
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