2004 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manual - Page 112

Seating and Safety Restraints 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 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. Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in single-vehicle crashes, many when no other vehicles are around. Possibly, but a serious crash can do much more than wrinkle your clothes, particularly if you are unbelted. Set the example, teen deaths occur 4 times more often in vehicles with TWO or MORE people. Children and younger brothers/sisters imitate behavior they see. Air bags offer greater protection when used with safety belts. Frontal airbags are not designed to inflate in rear and side crashes or rollovers. "I'm not going far" "Belts are uncomfortable" "I was in a hurry" "Safety belts don't work" "Traffic is light" "Belts wrinkle my clothes" "The people I'm with don't wear belts" "I have an air bag" 112 2004 Mountaineer (mnt) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA English (fus)