2005 Ford Freestyle Owner's Manual - Page 128

Seating and Safety Restraints If...The driver's or front passenger's safety belt becomes unbuckled for approximately 1 minute while the vehicle is traveling at least 3 mph (5 km/h) and more than 1-2 minutes have elapsed since the ignition switch has been turned to ON...Then...The BeltMinder feature is activated the safety belt warning light illuminates and the warning chime sounds for 6 seconds every 30 seconds, repeating for approximately 5 minutes or until the safety belts are buckled. The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts (All statistics based on U.S. data): Reasons given..."Crashes are rare events" Consider...36700 crashes occur every day. The more we drive, the more we are exposed to "rare" events, even for good drivers. 1 in 4 of us will be seriously injured in a crash during our lifetime. 3 of 4 fatal crashes occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. We design our safety belts to enhance comfort. If you are uncomfortable try different positions for the safety belt upper anchorage and seatback which should be as upright as possible; this can improve comfort. Prime time for an accident. BeltMinder reminds us to take a few seconds to buckle up. Safety belts, when used properly, reduce risk of death to front seat occupants by 45% in cars, and by 60% in light trucks. "I'm not going far" "Belts are uncomfortable" "I was in a hurry" "Safety belts don't work" 128 2005 Freestyle (219) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA (fus)