2008 Mercury Sable Owner's Manual - Page 164

Seating and Safety Restraints outboard passenger from certain upper body injuries. The term "supplemental restraint" means the airbags are intended as a supplement to the safety belts. Airbags alone cannot protect as well as airbags plus safety belts in impacts for which the airbags are designed to deploy, and airbags do not offer any protection in crashes for which they do not deploy. Important supplemental restraint system precautions Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly or gently and the risk of injury from a deploying airbag is greatest close to the trim covering the airbag module. All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided. Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back seat and always properly use appropriate child restraints. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between an occupant's chest and the driver airbag module. Never place your arm over the airbag module as a deploying airbag can result in serious arm fractures or other injuries. Steps you can take to properly position yourself away from the airbag: • Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the pedals comfortably. 164 2008 Sable (mgo) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA (fus)