2008 Alfa Romeo GT belt

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
32
CARRYING
CHILDREN SAFELY
For optimal protection in the event of a
crash, all passengers must be seated and
wearing adequate restraint systems. This is
even more important for children.
This prescription is compulsory in all EC
countries according to EC Directive
2003/20/EC.
Compared with adults, their head is pro-
portionally larger and heavier than the rest
of the body, while the muscles and bone
structure are not completely developed.
Therefore, correct restraint systems are nec-
essary, other than adult seat belts.
The results of research on the best pro-
tection for a child are summarised in Euro-
pean Standard ECE- R44, which in addition
to making them compulsory, subdivides re-
straint systems into five groups:
Group 0 0 - 10 kg in weight
Group 0+ 0 - 13 kg in weight
Group 1 9 - 18 kg in weight
Group 2 15 - 25 kg in weight
Group 3 22 - 36 kg in weightAs it may be noted, the groups overlap
partly and in fact, in commerce it is possible
to find devices that cover more than one
weight group. All restraint devices must bear
the certification data, together with the con-
trol brand, on a solidly fixed label which
must absolutely never be removed.
Over 1.50 m in height, from the point of
view of restraint systems, children are con-
sidered as adults and wear the seat belts
normally. Lineaccessori Alfa Romeo offers
seats for each weight group, which are the
recommended choice, as they have been de-
signed and experimented specifically for Al-
fa Romeo cars.
Never place cradle child’s
seats facing backwards on
the front passenger seat of
cars fitted with passenger’s air bag
since the air bag activation could
cause serious injuries, even mortal.
You are advised to carry children
always on the rear seat, as this is
the most protected position in the
case of a crash.
SERIOUS DANGER
Children may placed
on the front seat of
cars fitted with passenger’s air bag
deactivation. In this case, it is ab-
solutely necessary to check the
warning light Fon the instru-
ment panel to make sure that de-
activation has actually took place
(see paragraph “Front passenger
air bag”). The front passenger’s
seat shall be adjusted in the most
backward position to prevent any
contact between child’s seat and
dashboard.

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
33
GROUP 0 AND 0+ (fig. 43)
Babies up to 13 kg must be carried fac-
ing behind on a cradle seat which, support-
ing the head, does not induce strain on the
neck in the event of a sharp deceleration.
The cradle is restrained by the car safety
belts, as illustrated, and it should in turn
restrain the child with the belts incorporat-
ed on it.
GROUP 1 (fig. 44)
Starting from 9 to 18 kg in weight, chil-
dren may be carried facing forwards with
seats fitted with front cushion, through
which the car seat belt restrains both child
and seat.The illustration is indica-
tive only for assembly. As-
semble the seat according
to the compulsory instructions pro-
vided with it.
Seats exist which are suit-
able for covering weight
groups 0 and 1 with a rear
connection to the car belts and its
own belts to restrain the child. Be-
cause of their mass, they can be
dangerous if installed incorrectly
fastened to the car belts with a
cushion. Strictly adhere to the as-
sembly instructions provided.
fig. 43
A0A0659b
fig. 44
A0A0660b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
34
GROUP 2 (fig. 45)
Starting from 15 to 25 kg in weight, chil-
dren may be restrained directly by the car
seat belts.
Child seats only have the function of po-
sitioning the child correctly in relation to the
belts, so that the diagonal part adheres to
the chest and never to the neck and that the
horizontal part adheres to the child’s pelvis
and not to the abdomen.
GROUP 3 (fig. 46)
For children from 22 up to 36 kg the
child’s chest is thick enough not to need the
spacer back rest anymore.
The figure shows proper child seat posi-
tioning on the rear seat.
Over 1.50 m in height, children may wear
seat belts like adults.The illustration is indica-
tive only for assembly. As-
semble the seat according
to the compulsory instructions pro-
vided with it.
fig. 45
A0A0661b
fig. 46
A0A0662b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
36
Below is a summary of the rules
of safety to be followed for car-
rying children:
– The recommended position for installing
a child’s seat is on the rear seat, as it is the
most protected in the event of a crash.
– If the passenger’s air bag is deactivated
alwayscheck warning light
Fon the
cluster to make sure that it has actually been
deactivated.
– Carefully follow the instructions provid-
ed with the child’s seat, which the supplier
is obliged to attach. Keep them in the car
together with the documents and this book-
let. Do not use used seats without the in-
structions for use.
– Always pull the tape to check that belts
are buckled.
Never place cradle child’s
seats facing backwards on
the front passenger seat of
cars fitted with passenger’s air bag
since the air bag activation could
cause serious injuries, even mortal.
You are advised to carry children
always on the rear seat, as this is
the most protected position in the
case of a crash.– All restraint systems are strictly for one
child only: never use for two children at the
same time.
– Always make sure that the belts do not
rest on the child’s neck.
– During the journey, do not allow the
child to stay in abnormal positions or release
the belts.
– Do not carry children in your arms, not
even small babies. No-one, however strong,
can keep hold od them in a crash.
– In the case of accidents, replace the
child’s seat with a new one.
PRESETTING FOR
MOUNTING
“ISOFIX TYPE” CHILD
RESTRAINT SYSTEM
The rear seat of your car is preset for
mounting the Isofix type child restraint sys-
tem, a new European standardised system
for carrying children safely. Isofix type child
restraint system is an additional option that
does not prevent from using traditional child
restraint systems. Isofix type child restraint
system covers three weight groups: 0, 0+
and 1.
Due to its different anchoring system, the
Isofix child’ seat shall be anchored just us-
ing the metal brackets (A-fig. 47) set be-
tween rear seat back and cushion.
fig. 47
A0A0671b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
37
Mount the child restraint
system only with the car
stationary. The Isofix child
restraint system is properly an-
chored to the mounting brackets
when clicks are heard. In any case,
keep to the installation instructions
that must be provided by the child
restraint system Manufacturer.– push the child restraint system until hear-
ing the locking clicks;
– check proper locking by moving the
child’s seat with force: the built-in safety
mechanism actually inhibits proper coupling
with only one coupling locked.
It is actually possible to mount both the
traditional restraint system and the Isofix
one, e.g. the traditional one on the left and
the Isofix type seat on the right.
Since sizes are different, on the rear seats
it is possible to install just two traditional
child’s seats, or two Isofix type seats. On
the front passenger seat it is only possible
to mount traditional child’s seats.
Only Isofix type child restraint systems de-
signed and tested for this car must be used.
fig. 48
A0A0663b
MOUNTING THE ISOFIX TYPE
CHILD’S SEAT
Groups 0 and 0+
For children of the 0 and 0+ group (ba-
bies up to 13 Kg), the child’s seat is facing
backwards and the child is restrained by the
child’s seat belts(D-fig. 48).
As the child grows, passing to weight group
1, the child’s seat shall be fitted facing for-
wards.
For proper mounting proceed as follows:
– check whether the release lever (B) is
at rest position (inward);
– find the presetting brackets (A), then
position the child restraint system with the
fastening devices (C) aligned with the brack-
ets;

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
38
Group 1
For proper mounting proceed as follows:
– check whether the release lever (B-
fig. 49) is at rest position (inward);
– find the presetting brackets (A), then
position the child restraint system with fas-
tening devices (C) aligned with the brack-
ets;
– push the child restraint system until hear-
ing the locking clicks;
– check proper locking by moving the
child’s seat with force: the built-in safety
mechanism actually inhibits improper cou-
pling with only one coupling locked.AIR BAG
The car is fitted with front air bags for the
driver and for the passenger (side bags - win-
dow bags).
FRONT AIR BAGS
The front air bag (driver’s and passenger’s)
has been designed to protect the occupants
in the event of head-on crashes of medium-
high severity by placing the cushion between
the occupant and the steering wheel or dash-
board.
Front air bags are designed to protect the
car occupants in front crashes and therefore
non-activation in other types of collisions
(side collisions, rear-end shunts, roll-overs,
etc...) is not a system malfunction.
In the case of a crash, an electronic con-
trol unit, when necessary, triggers inflation
of the cushion.
The cushion inflates instantaneously, set-
ting itself between the body of the front oc-
cupants and the structures that could cause
injury. The cushion then deflates immedi-
ately afterwards. With this configuration, the child is secured
also by the car seat belts and by the upper
belts. To apply car seat belts to child’s seat
refer to the child’s seat handbook.
fig. 49
A0A0664b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
39
Do not apply stickers or
other objects on the steer-
ing wheel and on the pas-
senger’s air bag cover. Do not put
objects on the dashboard on the
passenger’s side (e.g. cell phones)
because they may interfere with
the correct passenger’s air bag
opening and seriously injure the oc-
cupants of the car.
The driver’s and passenger’s front air bag
has been designed to improve the protec-
tion of a person wearing a seat belt.
Its volume at maximum inflation fills most
of the space between the steering wheel
and the driver and between the dashboard
and the passenger.
In the event of minor side crashes (for
which the restraining action of the seat belts
is sufficient), the air bags are not deployed.
Also in this case it is of vital importance to
wear the seat belts since in case of side
crash they guarantee proper positioning of
the occupant. DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained in a special recess in the centre of
the steering wheel (fig. 50). The front air bag (driver’s and passenger’s)
does not replace but is complementary to
the use of belts, which should always be
worn, as specified by law in Europe and
most non-European countries.
In the event of a crash a person that is not
wearing the seat belt moves forwards and
may come into contact with the cushion
while it is still opening. Under these cir-
cumstances the protection offered by the
cushion is reduced.
Front air bags may not be triggered in the
following conditions:
– collisions against highly deformable ob-
jects which do not concern the car front sur-
face (for example the bumper crashing
against the guard rail);
– wedging under other cars or protective
barriers (for example under a lorry or guard
rail);
as they do not offer any more protection
than the seat belts and therefore activation
would be inappropriate. Therefore the fail-
ure to be triggered does not mean that the
system is not working properly.
fig. 50
A0A0613b

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
44
STEERING WHEEL
LEVERS
The devices and services controlled by the
levers on the steering wheel can only be ac-
tivated with the ignition key at MAR.
LEFT-HAND LEVER
The left-hand lever controls the outer lights
except for the fog lamps and rear fog
guards.
When the outer lights are switched on, the
various controls on the dashboard are illu-
minated.
Only with the ignition key at PARK, re-
gardless of the position of the knurled ring,
the sidelights and number plate lights stay on.
Position (1or2-fig. 60) of the lever
causes the turning on only of the sidelights
(front and rear), on the right or left respec-
tively.
Lights switched off
(fig. 55)
When the pointer in the knurled ring is op-
posite the symbol O, the outer lights are
switched off. When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the warn-
ing light
F(with passen-
ger’s front air bag deactivation
switch at ON) turns on and flash-
es for few seconds to remind that
passenger’s air bag will be de-
ployed in a crash, after which it
should go off.The front air bag is trig-
gered for shocks greater in
magnitude than the pre-
tensioners. For impacts between
these two thresholds, it is there-
fore normal that only the preten-
sioners are triggered.
Do not hook rigid objects
to the coat hooks and to
the support handles.
The air bag does not sub-
stitute the seat belts, but
only increases their effec-
tiveness. Moreover, since the front
air bags do not come into operation
in the event of front impact at low
speed, side collisions, bumps from
behind or overturning, in these cir-
cumstances the occupants would
only be protected by the seat belts
which must therefore always be
fastened. Never wash seat back-
rests with pressurised wa-
ter or steam (by hand or at
automatic seat washing stations).