2011 Mercedes R-Class Owner's Manual - Page 56

54 Occupant safety Seat belts Important safety guidelines The use of seat belts, infant or child restraints is required by law in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces. Even where this is not the case, all vehicle occupants should have their seat belts fastened when the vehicle is in motion. possible and the seat belt is properly positioned on the body. G Warning Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are seat belts available. Make 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. Safety i See "Children in the vehicle" (Y page 59) for further information on infants and children traveling in the vehicle as well as on child restraint systems. G Warning! Always fasten your seat belt before driving off. Always make sure all of your passengers are properly restrained. You and your passengers should always wear seat belts. Failure to wear and properly fasten and position your seat belt greatly increases your risk of injuries and their likely severity in an accident. 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. The air bags can only protect as intended if the occupants are properly wearing their seat belts. G Warning Damaged seat belts or seat belts that have been subjected to stress 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 of the ETDs or to their failure to activate when necessary. 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. Correct use of the seat belt G Warning RSeat USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY belts can only work when used properly. Never wear seat belts in any other way than as described in this section, as that could result in serious injuries in the event of an accident. REach occupant should wear their seat belt at all times, because seat belts help reduce the likelihood of and potential severity of injuries in accidents, including rollovers. The integrated restraint system includes SRS (driver front air bag, front-passenger front air bag, side impact air bags, window G Warning 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 seat 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 position that is as upright as