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61Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear seat belts properly, as
they could otherwise be thrown forward violently in an accident. Rear seat
passengers who do not use seat belts endanger not only themselves but al-
so the driver and other occupants ⇒ Fig. 40.
Seat belt protection
Fig. 41 Drivers with
properly worn seat belts
will not be thrown for-
ward in the event of sud-
den braking
Wearing a correctly fastened seat belt can significantly change the situa-
tion. Properly worn seat belts hold the vehicle occupants in the correct sit-
ting positions and substantially reduce the kinetic energy in the event of an
accident. Seat belts also help to prevent uncontrolled movements that
could lead to severe injuries. In addition, properly worn seat belts reduce
the danger of being thrown from the vehicle ⇒ Fig. 41.
Vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts correctly benefit greatly from the
ability of the belts to absorb kinetic energy. The front crumple zones and
other passive safety features (such as the airbag system) are also designed
to absorb the kinetic energy generated in a collision. Taken together, all
these features reduce the energy released and decrease the risk of injury.
Our examples describe frontal collisions. Of course, properly worn seat belts
substantially reduce the risk of injury in all other types of accidents. This is
why it is so important to fasten seat belts before every trip, even when just
driving “around the corner”. Ensure that your passengers wear their seat
belts as well.
Accident statistics have shown properly worn seat belts to be an effective
means of considerably reducing the risk of severe injury and improving the
chances of survival in a serious accident. Furthermore, properly worn seat
belts improve the protection provided by deployed airbags in the event of
an accident. For this reason, wearing a seat belt is required by law in most
countries.
Although your vehicle is equipped with airbags, fasten and wear the seat
belts. The front airbags, for example, are only triggered in some frontal acci-
dents. The front airbags will not be triggered during minor frontal collisions,
minor side collisions, rear collisions, rolls or accidents in which the airbag
trigger threshold value in the control unit is not exceeded.
Therefore, you should always wear your seat belt and ensure that vehicle
occupants have fastened their seat belts properly before you drive off!
Using seat belts
Checklist
Use of the seat belt ⇒
:
¥
Check the condition of all the seat belts at regular intervals.
¥
Keep the seat belts clean.
¥
Keep the seat belt web, the latch plate and the buckle free of foreign
bodies and liquids.
¥
Do not jam or damage the seat belt or the latch plate when closing
the door, for example.
Vehicle diagram Prior to a journey... While driving Care, cleaning and mainte-
nance
If and when Technical Data
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