BMW Z3 COUPE 2002, Owner'S Manual

Page: 166 / 187

166 n
Car radio reception Safety belt tensioner
The AM frequency bands (medium-
wave, long-wave and short-wave) make
it possible to receive stations from a
great distance, because the broadcast
signals travel not only along the ground
as surface waves, but also as atmo-
spheric waves that are reflected from
the ionosphere.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
AM. However, because FM transmis-
sions rely on line-of-sight broadcast
waves, their effective reception range
is limited.
The limitations which are inherent to
radio reception in a moving vehicle
have been minimized by the use of
innovative systems.
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The safety belt tensioner responds to
severe collisions by tightening the belts
to ensure that occupants remain firmly
positioned in their seats. A gas-pres-
sure system retracts the buckle
assembly to tension the shoulder and
lap belts within fractions of a second.
This tends to further reduce the
tendency to slide under the lap belt.
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