2005 Mercedes C-Class Owner's Manual - Page 67

Safety and Security Occupant safety Warning! G Warning! G Warning! G Always fasten your seat belt before driving off. Always make sure your passengers are properly restrained, even those sitting in the rear and pregnant women. Failure to wear and properly fasten and position your seat belt greatly increases your risk of injuries and their likely severity in an accident. You and your passengers should always wear seat belts. If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can be considerably more severe without your seat belt properly buckled. Without your seat belt buckled, you are much more likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, the possibility of injury or death is lessened if you are properly wearing your seat belt. Air bags can only protect as they are designed if the occupants are properly wearing their seat belts. Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat backrest in an excessively reclined position as this can be dangerous. You could slide under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide under it, the belt would apply force at the abdomen or neck. That could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and seat belt provide the best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly upright position and the belt is properly positioned on the body. Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly stressed in an accident must be replaced and their anchoring points must also be checked. Only use seat belts which have been approved by Mercedes-Benz. Do not make any modifications to the seat belts. This can lead to unintended activation or to failure. Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may severely weaken them. In a crash, they may not be able to provide adequate protection. Have all work carried out only by qualified technicians. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Warning! G Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are seat belts available. Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly restrained with a separate seat belt. Never use a seat belt for more than one person at a time. 65