2005 Mercury Mountaineer Owner Guide 3rd Printing - Page 131

Seating and Safety Restraints Important SRS precautions The SRS is designed to work with the safety belt to help protect the driver and right front passenger from certain upper body injuries. Airbags DO NOT inflate slowly; there is a risk of injury from a deploying airbag. 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. The 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 air bag module as a deploying air bag can result in serious arm fractures or other injuries. 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. • Recline the seat slightly one or two degrees from the upright position. Do not put anything on or over the air bag module. Placing objects on or over the air bag inflation area may cause those objects to be propelled by the air bag into your face and torso causing serious injury. 131 2005 Mountaineer (mnt) Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) USA (fus)