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Knowing your vehicle
What your air bag system does
Driver’s air bag and front passenger’s air
bag are designed to supplement the pro-
tection offered by the safety belt in cer-
tain frontal collisions. Likewise, side air
bag and curtain air bags are designed to
supplement the protection offered by the
safety belt in side collisions. Safety belts
are designed to reduce the injury of the
driver or passengers in case of light
impact or collision. However, to help
reduce impact on driver or passengers in
a serious collision, seat belts must also
be worn correctly.
What your air bag system does
not do
The air bag system is designed to sup-
plement the protection offered by the
safety belt system. IT IS NOT A SUBSTI-
TUTE FOR THE SAFETY BELT.
The importance of using
safety belts
There are four very important reasons to
use safety belts even with an air bag sup-
plemental restraint system. They:
• help keep you in the proper position
(away from the air bag) when it inflates.
• reduce the risk of harm in rollover, side
impact (vehicles not equipped with
side and curtain air bags) or rear
impact collisions, because an air bag is
not designed to inflate in such situa-
tions and even a side curtain air bag is
designed to inflate only in certain side
impact collisions.
• reduce the risk of harm in frontal or
side collisions which are not severe
enough to actuate the air bag supple-
mental restraint system.
• reduce the risk of being ejected from
your vehicle.
Your vehicle’s Supplemental Restraint
System Control Module is equipped
with a recording device that may
record the use or status of the safety
belt restraint system by the driver and
front passenger in certain collisions.
WARNING
- Air bags &
safety belts
• Even in vehicles with air bags,
you and your passengers must
always wear the safety belts pro-
vided in order to minimize the risk
and severity of injury in the event
of a collision or rollover.
• Always wear your safety belt. It
can help keep you away from the
air bags during heavy braking
just before a collision. It may also
reduce the risk of occupant ejec-
tion.
• If occupants are not wearing safe-
ty belts or correctly seated, they
cannot be fully protected, and
thus face a greater risk of serious
injury or death.
(Continued)