2008 DODGE SPRINTER child restraint

34 SafetyOccupant safety
2
\3 Occupant safetyThis section contains all the most impor-
tant information about the restraint sys-
t e m s i n y o u r v e h i c l e . I n a n a c c i d e n t , y o u r
vehicle collides with another object, e.g.
another vehicle. This may cause your ve-
hicle to accelerate or decelerate ex-
tremely quickly. During this acceleration
or deceleration, the vehicle occupants
will be moved in the opposite direction
to the force of the impact. There is there-
fore the risk of vehicle occupants injur-
ing themselves on the vehicle interior or
on parts of the vehicle. The purpose of
supplemental restraint systems, i.e. principally the seat belts supplemented
by emergency tensioning retractors, belt
force limiters and airbags when neces-
sary, is to minimize this risk of injury.
However, the seat belts and airbags can-
not generally prevent injuries caused by
objects penetrating the vehicle from the
outside.
The most important restraint systems
are:
\4
the seat belts
\4
restraint systems for children, since
they are the most effective means of
reducing the extent to which the oc-
cupants are moved in the event of an
accidentAdditional protection is provided by:
\4
SRS (S
upplemental R
estraint S
ys-
tem), comprising:
\4
emergency tensioning retractors
\4
belt force limiters
\4
airbags
i
An airbag increases the degree of
protection afforded to vehicle occupants
wearing a seat belt and is therefore only
to be considered as an additional re-
straint system to the seat belt. Airbags
do not in any way relieve any vehicle oc-
cupants of the need to wear their seat
belt correctly at all times.
Restraint systems
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36 SafetyOccupant safety
2
The most important restraint systems in
the vehicle are the seat belts and child
restraint systems. They are the most ef-
fective means of preventing vehicle oc-
cupants from moving towards the point
of impact and thus reducing the risk of
occupants hitting parts of the vehicle in-
terior.
Warning (Continued)
G
The airbags or emergency tensioning re-
tractors could, for example, be activated
inadvertently or could fail in accidents in
which the deceleration force is sufficient
to trigger the airbag. For this reason, do
not modify the restraint systems. Do not
tamper with electronic components or
their software.
AirbagsWarning
G
Airbags do offer additional protection but
they are not a substitute for the seat
belts. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries, make sure that all occupants – in
particular, expectant mothers – wear
their seat belt correctly at all times, have
adopted a normal sitting position and that
the seat is positioned as upright as possi-
ble.
Seat beltsiIn many countries there are regula-
tions concerning the use of seat
belts and child restraint systems.
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38 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Warning (Continued)
G
A child must never be carried sitting on
the lap of a vehicle occupant. It would not
be possible to restrain the child, and the
child and other vehicle occupants could
be seriously or fatally injured in the event
of abrupt braking or an accident.Persons less than 1.50 m tall or children
under 12 years of age cannot wear their
seat belt properly. They therefore require
additional restraint systems on suitable
vehicle seats for protection in an acci-
dent. Always observe the installation in-
structions issued by the manufacturer of
the child restraint systems.
Warning
G
The seat belt only provides its intended
degree of protection if the seat backrest
is positioned as vertically as possible, al-
lowing the occupant to sit upright. Avoid
seat positions that do not allow the seat
belt to be routed correctly. Therefore, po-
sition the backrest as vertically as possi-
ble. Never drive with the backrest tilted
too far back. You could otherwise be seri-
ously or even fatally injured in the event of
an accident or abrupt braking.
Warning
G
The seat belt cannot perform its protec-
tive function correctly if the seat belt
strap or buckle are dirty or damaged. You
should therefore keep the belt strap and
buckle clean, as otherwise the belt latch
plate may not be able to engage correctly.Check regularly that the seat belts:are not damagedare not routed over sharp edgesare not trapped
Continued
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47 Safety
Occupant safety
2
Warning (Continued)
G
\4Vehicle occupants should wear their
seat belt correctly at all times and
lean back against the backrest, which
should be positioned as upright as
possible. The head restraints should
support the back of the head at about
eye level.\4Move the passenger’s seat as far to
the rear as possible, especially if a
child is secured in a restraint system
installed on this seat.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
\4On vehicles with a passenger’s air-
bag, it is not permitted to secure a
rearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem to the passenger’s seat
(\2page 56). Children in a rearward-
facing child restraint system must be
secured on a suitable rear seat.\4Do not lean forward, for example over
the padded boss of the steering
wheel, especially when the vehicle is
in motion.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
\4Only hold the steering wheel by the
outer rim. This allows the airbag to in-
flate fully. If you hold the inside of the
steering wheel, you could be injured if
the airbag were to be triggered.\4Do not put your feet on the dash-
board.\4Do not lean on the doors from inside
the vehicle.\4Make sure that no persons, animals
or objects are present between the
vehicle occupants and the deploy-
ment range of the airbags.
Continued
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55 Safety
Occupant safety
2
If a child is traveling in the vehicle:\4
secure the child in a child restraint
system appropriate to his/her age
and size, preferably on a suitable
seat in the rear
\4
ensure that the child is strapped in
throughout the trip
You can obtain child seats and informa-
tion about the correct child restraint sys-
tem from any authorized Sprinter
Dealer.Children in the vehicle
Warning
G
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could:\4injure themselves on parts of the
vehicle\4be seriously or even fatally injured by
prolonged exposure to extreme heat
or cold
Do not expose child restraint systems to
direct sunlight. Metallic parts of the child
restraint system could heat up, for exam-
ple, and the child could burn him / herself
on the hot parts.
Warning
G
If the children open a door, they could:\4cause injury to others as a result\4get out of the vehicle and could either
injure themselves when doing so or
they could be injured by passing vehi-
cles\4sustain serious injuries if they were to
fall out of the vehicle, due in particular
to the height of the passenger com-
partment from the ground
Continued
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56 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Child restraint systemsWe recommend all infants and children
be properly restrained at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retrac-
tors for secure fastening of child re-
straints.To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely
and let it retract. During seat belt retrac-
tion, a ratcheting sound can be heard to
indicate that the special seat belt retrac-
tor is activated. The belt is now locked.
Push down on child restraint to take up
any slack.
Warning (Continued)
G
Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside
the vehicle or load compartment unless
they are secured. You will find further in-
formation under “Transporting”
(\2page 276) and “Features”
(\2page 287) in the “Controls in detail”
section.An unsecured or incorrectly positioned load
increases the risk of injury to occupants, par-
ticularly children, in the event of:\4sharp braking
\4a sudden change of direction
\4an accident
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57 Safety
Occupant safety
2
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle
and let seat belt retract completely. The
seat belt can again be used in the usual
manner.Warning
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while
the vehicle is in motion, since the special
seat belt retractor will be deactivated.
Warning
G
T o r e d u c e t h e r i s k o f s e r i o u s o r f a t a l i n j u r y
to a child in the event of an accident,
sharp braking or a sudden change in di-
rection:\4Always secure children less than 5 ft
(1.50 m) tall or under 12 years of age
in a special child restraint system in-
stalled on a suitable vehicle seat,
since the seat belts are not designed
for this body size.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
It is not permitted to secure a child in the
passenger’s seat or the center position of
the front bench seat if the vehicle is
equipped with a passenger’s airbag.Only secure a rearward-facing child re-
straint system on a suitable rear seat.
Continued
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58 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Warning (Continued)
G
A child must never be carried sitting on
the lap of a vehicle occupant. It would not
be possible to restrain the child as a result
of the forces acting in the event of an ac-
cident, braking or abrupt changes in di-
rection. The child would be thrown
against parts of the vehicle interior and be
seriously or fatally injured.Vehicle occupants must wear their seat
belt correctly at all times.
Warning
G
If the child restraint system is not in-
stalled correctly on a suitable vehicle
seat, the child may not be restrained in
the event of an accident or sudden brak-
ing and may be seriously or fatally injured.
For this reason, always observe the instal-
lation instructions issued by the child re-
straint system manufacturer and the
intended use for the child restraint sys-
tem when fitting it.It is advisable to install the child restraint
system on one of the rear seats. The child
is generally better protected there.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
Do not place objects (for example a cush-
ion) underneath the child restraint sys-
tem. The entire base of the child restraint
system must be in contact with the seat
cushion at all times.Child restraint systems must not be used
without the original cover. Replace dam-
aged covers only with original covers.On the rear seats, only use child restraint
systems recommended by the manufac-
turer.
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