The vast majority of drivers and passengers over the age of 12 years are
much safer with an airbag than without. To do their job and reduce the
risk of life threatening injuries, airbags must open with great force, and
this force can pose a potentially deadly risk in some situations,
particularly when a front seat occupant is not properly buckled up. The
most effective way to reduce the risk of unnecessary airbag injuries
without reducing the overall safety of the vehicle is to make sure all
occupants are properly restrained in the vehicle, especially in the front
seat. This provides the protection of safety belts and permits the airbags
to provide the additional protection they were designed to provide. If
you choose to deactivate your airbag, you are losing the very significant
risk reducing benefits of the airbag and you are also reducing the
effectiveness of the safety belts, because safety belts in modern vehicles
are designed to work as a safety system with the airbags.
Read all airbag Warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other
important airbag instructions and Warnings in this Owner’s Guide.
NHTSA gives permission to install airbag cut-off switches in the
following terms:
1.
Infant.
An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat
because:
•
the vehicle has no rear seat;
•
the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing
infant seat; or
•
the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s
physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
2.
Child age 1 to 12.
A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat
because:
•
the vehicle has no rear seat;
•
although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever
possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or
•
the child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s
physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
3.
Medical condition.
A passenger has a medical condition which,
according to his or her physician:
•
causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk for the passenger;
and
2006 B-Series (mbs)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
Canadian_French (fr_can)
Seating and Safety Restraints
86
