1997 Ford Ranger Owner Guide 1st Printing - Page 125

Seating and Safety Restraints The Importance of Wearing Safety Belts R WARNING All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, should always wear their safety belts, even when an air bag Supplemental Restraint System is provided. There are four very important reasons to use safety belts even with an air bag system. Use your safety belts to: s help keep you in the proper position (away from the air bag) when it inflates s reduce the risk of harm in rollover, side or rear impact collisions, because an air bag is not designed to inflate in such situations s reduce the risk of harm in frontal collisions that are not severe enough to activate the supplemental air bag s reduce the risk of being thrown from your vehicle R WARNING The supplemental air bags are not designed to protect occupants in the front center seating position. The Importance of Being Properly Seated In a collision, the air bag must inflate extremely fast to help provide additional protection for you. In order to do this, the air bag must inflate with considerable force. If you are not seated in a normal riding position with your back against the seatback, the air bag may not protect you properly and could possibly hurt you as it inflates. 123