tentionally or fail to be deployed when
required. There is an increased risk of injury,
possibly even fatal.
Never modify safety belts, seat belt tension-
ers, seat belt anchorages and inertia reels.
Ensure that seat belts are not damaged or
worn and are clean. After an accident, have
the seat belts checked immediately at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use
seat belts which have been approved specifi-
cally for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. Other-
wise, your vehicle's general operating permit
could be invalidated.
Correct seat belt use
Pay attention to the safety notes about the seat
belt (
Y
page 39).
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat
belts correctly before you start driving. You
must also make sure that all vehicle occupants
have fastened their seat belts correctly during
the journey.
When fastening your seat belt, always make
sure that:
R
the seat belt tongue is inserted into the belt
buckle that belongs to the seat.
R
the seat belt is tightened across your body.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R
the seat belt is not twisted.
Only then can the forces which occur be dis-
tributed over the area of the belt.
R
the shoulder section of the belt is routed
across the centre of your shoulder.
The shoulder section of the belt must not
come into contact with your neck or be routed
under your arm.
R
The lap belt must be taut and as low as pos-
sible over your lap.
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and not across your abdomen.
Pregnant women must take particular care
with this. If necessary, push the lap belt down
to your hip joint and pull it tight using the
shoulder section of the belt.
R
The seat belt is not routed over sharp, pointed
or fragile objects.
If such objects are located on or in your cloth-
ing, e.g. pens, keys, spectacles, etc. stow
these in a suitable location.
R
Only one person should use each seat belt at
any one time.
Babies and children must never travel sitting
on the lap of another vehicle occupant. In the
event of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat belt.
R
Do not secure any objects with a seat belt if
the seat belt is being used by one of the vehi-
cle's occupants.
Also ensure that no objects are placed
between a person and the seat. e.g. a cush-
ion.
Seat belts are solely intended to secure and
restrain persons. To secure objects, luggage or
loads, always observe the "Loading guidelines"
(
Y
page 272).
Fastening a seat belt
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(
Y
page 39) and the information on the correct
use of the seat belt (
Y
page 40).
G
WARNING
If the seat-belt extender extends during the
journey, the seat belt is not sitting correctly
across your body. The seat belt then cannot
perform its intended protective function.
There is an increased risk of injury, possibly
even fatal.
During a journey, make sure that the seat-belt
extender is retracted.
The seat-belt extender for the driver and front
passenger helps you fasten your seat belt. Seat-
belt extender
=
is extended when the respec-
40
Occupant safety
Safe
ty
