Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class 2012 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 51)

your risk of injuries and their likely severity in
an accident.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
could be considerably more severe if you have
not fastened your seat belt correctly. If you do
not fasten your seat belt, you are much more
likely to collide with parts of the vehicle
interior or be ejected from it. This may result
in serious or fatal injury.
In the same crash, the possibility of serious or
fatal injury is considerably reduced if you wear
your seat belt properly. The air bags can only
offer the intended protection if the occupants
are wearing their seat belts properly.
G WARNING
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide under
the seat belt in a collision. If you slide under
it, the seat belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck. That could cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a position that is as upright as
possible and the seat belt is properly
positioned on the body.
G WARNING
Never let more people ride in the vehicle than
there are seat belts available. Make sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.
G WARNING
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that have
been subjected to stress in an accident must
be replaced and their anchoring points must
also be checked.
Only use seat belts which have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
of the ETDs or to their failure to activate when
necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Correct use of the seat belts
G WARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
R Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any other
way than as described in this section, as
that could result in serious injuries in the
event of an accident.
R Each occupant should wear their seat belt
at all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, including rollovers.
The integrated restraint system includes
SRS (driver front air bag, knee bags, front-
passenger front air bag, side impact air
bags, head air bags), Emergency
Tensioning Devices (ETDs) and seat belt
force limiters. The system is designed to
enhance the protection offered to properly
belted occupants in certain frontal (front air
bags, knee bags and ETDs) and side (side
impact air bags, head air bags and ETDs)
impacts which exceed preset deployment
thresholds.
R Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, across your neck or off your shoulder.
In a frontal crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The seat
belt would also apply too much force to the
ribs or abdomen, which could severely
injure internal organs such as your liver or
spleen.
Adjust the seat belt so that the shoulder
section is located as close as possible to
Occupant safety
49
Safety
Z