SAFETY
175
Airbags
5
The air bags have been designed to
maximise the safety of the occupants
(with the exception of the centre
seats of rows 2 and 3) in the event
of a serious collision; they work in
conjunction with the force limiting seat
b e l t s .
In the event of a serious collision, the
electronic detectors record and analyse
the front and side impacts suffered in
the impact detection zones:
- in the event of a serious impact, t h e a i r b a g s i n fl a t e i n s t a n t l y a n d
protect the occupants of the
v e h i c l e .
Immediately after the impact, the air
b a g s d e fl a t e r a p i d l y , s o t h a t t h e y d o n o t
hinder the visibility of the occupants
n o r t h e i r p o s s i b l e e x i t f r o m t h e v e h i c l e . - in the event of a minor or rear
impact and in certain roll-over
conditions, the air bags will not
be deployed; the seat belt alone
i s s u f fi c i e n t t o p r o v i d e m a x i m u m
p r o t e c t i o n i n t h e s e s i t u a t i o n s .
The seriousness of the collision
depends on the nature of the obstacle
and the speed of the vehicle at the
m o m e n t o f i m p a c t . Air bags only operate when the
ignition is switched on.
T h i s e q u i p m e n t o n l y o p e r a t e s o n c e .
If a second impact occurs (during the
same or a subsequent accident), the
a i r b a g w i l l n o t o p e r a t e .
The triggering of an air bag or air bags
is accompanied by a slight discharge
of harmless smoke and a noise, due
to the activation of the pyrotechnic
c a r t r i d g e i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t h e s y s t e m .
This smoke is not harmful, but
sensitive individuals may experience
s o m e i r r i t a t i o n .
The noise of the detonation may result
in a slight loss of hearing for a short
t i m e .
AIR BAGS
It is imperative that the passenger
air bag is disarmed if a child seat
i s i n s t a l l e d f a c i n g r e a r w a r d s . R e f e r
to the "Children on board" section of
c h a p t e r 5 .