2008 MERCEDES-BENZ R320 light

82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification Sys-
tem
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1or2or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the59indicator lamp
(
page 81) located in the center console
illuminates. If an adult occupant is properly
sitting on the front passenger seat and the
system senses the occupant as being an
adult, the59indicator lamp
will illuminate and go out after approxi-
mately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the59indicator lamp
will illuminate and not go out.For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 425).
Seat belts
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems 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 whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
For information on fastening seat belts,
see “Fastening the seat belts” (
page 50).
Warning!G
If the 59 indicator lamp should
not illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center before seating any child
on the front passenger seat.
Warning!G
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the Occupant
Classification System. The bottom of the
child seat must make full contact with the
passenger seat cushion. An incorrectly
mounted child seat could cause injuries to
the child in case of an accident, instead of
increasing protection for the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and restraint
systems for infants and children, see “Children
in the vehicle” (
page 87).

83 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained, even those sitting in
the rear.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passengers should
always wear seat belts.
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. Air bags can only protect as
they are designed if the occupants are prop-
erly wearing their seat belts.
Warning!G
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 belt would apply force at the ab-
domen 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
possible and the belt is properly positioned
on the body.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is cor-
rectly restrained with a separate seat belt.
Never use a seat belt for more than one per-
son at a time.
Warning!G
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed 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 failure.
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 Light Truck Center.

86 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
In an impact, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Belt force limiters,
when activated, are employed to help
reduce the peak force exerted by the seat
belts on occupants during a crash.Active head restraints
The active head restraints are intended to
offer the driver and front passenger
increased protection from whiplash type
injuries. In the event of a rear-end collision,
the active head restraints on the driver’s
and front passenger’s seats are designed
to move forward in the direction of travel,
providing the head with increased support
earlier on in the collision sequence. The
active head restraints move forward
whether the seat is occupied or not.
Warning!G
A pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) that was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of the pyrotechnic emer-
gency tensioning device, our safety instruc-
tions must be followed. These are available
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Warning!G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraint. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center for availability.
Do not attach any objects (e.g. hangers) to
the head restraints posts. Otherwise, the
active head restraints may not be able to
function properly or offer the intended
degree of protection in the event of an
accident.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that it is as close to
the head as possible and the center of the
head restraint supports the back of the head
at eye level. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and neck in the event of
an accident or similar situation.

87 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
You cannot remove the active head
restraint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seats.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 43).
For information on resetting the activated
active head restraints, see “Resetting acti-
vated head restraints” (
page 477).
Rear head restraintsChildren in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:

Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.

Make sure the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
Warning!G
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints installed when the rear seats
are occupied. Head restraints are intended
to help reduce injuries during an accident.
With the second-row middle seat* or a
third-row seat occupied, make sure to move
the respective head restraint up from the
lowest non-use position and have the occu-
pant adjust the head restraint properly.
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible and the
head restraint supports the back of the head
at eye level. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and neck in the event of
an accident or similar situation.
Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold


88 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We 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 retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
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 retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The belt is now locked. Push down
on child restraint to take up any slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. To deacti-
vate the special seat belt retractor for the
front passenger seat, the front passenger
seat must be in the most backward posi-
tion. The seat belt can again be used in the
usual manner.The use of infant or child restraints is re-
quired by law in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all
Canadian provinces.Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger or cargo compartment unless
they are firmly secured in place. For more in-
formation, please refer to the “Loading”
(
page 288) and “Useful features”
(
page 304) sections in the “Controls in
detail” chapter.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the
event of:

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accident
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
iFor information on child seats with mounting
fittings for tether anchorages, see “Installation
of infant and child restraint system”
(
page 92).
For information on LATCH type child seat
mounts, see “Child seat anchors – LATCH type”
(
page 91).


94 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Lower the head restraint if necessary
(
page 135).
Make sure the top tether strap can
pass freely between the head restraint
and top of seat backrest.
Install the child restraint system and
tighten the top tether strap according
to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.Second-row middle seat*
Warning!G
After installing top tether straps, make sure

the seats are properly locked

the seat backrests are in an upright po-
sition and are properly locked
An outboard second-row seat is properly
locked only when lock status indicator 1 is
in hinged position and red marking 2 is
barely visible (
page 131).
If a seat and seat backrest are not properly
locked, the seat could move forward and the
seat backrest could fold. The child seat
would no longer be properly supported or
positioned to provide its intended benefit.
That could cause serious or even fatal
injuries.
Warning!G
Only install a child seat in the second-row
middle seat position if the outboard seat
belt buckle is not obstructed or overlapped
by the child seat. Not all child seats, includ-
ing some Mercedes-Benz approved child
seats, can be used in this seating position.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center for more information.
Do not use the LATCH anchors or seat belt
buckle for the outboard seats in conjunction
with a child seat the second-row middle seat
position. Child seats in the middle seating
position must only be secured by the middle
seat position seat belt inserted into the seat
belt receptacle for that seat.


99 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (Antilock Brake System)

BAS (Brake Assist System)

ESP® (Electronic Stability Program)

EBP (Electronic Brake Proportioning)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of
approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) indepen-
dent of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will
respond even to light brake pressure.
The -indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 26) comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
Warning!G
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns

Wet and slippery road surfaces

Following another vehicle too closely
The driving systems described in this sec-
tion cannot reduce these risks or prevent
the natural laws of physics from acting on
the vehicle.
Always adjust your driving style to the
prevailing road and weather conditions and
keep a safe distance to other road users and
objects on the street.
iIn winter operation, the maximum effective-
ness driving systems described in this section is
only achieved with winter tires (
page 398) or
snow chains as required.
Warning!G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

100 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Braking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode.
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal while experiencing the pul-
sation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and ability to steer
the vehicle.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an
indication of hazardous road conditions
and functions as a reminder to take extra
care while driving.Emergency brake maneuver
Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.
For more information, see the “Practical
Hints” section (
page 414).
Warning!G
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the BAS,
the ESP®, and the Electronic Traction
System are also switched off. The basic
driving and braking functions are still avail-
able.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the wheels
may lock during hard braking, reducing
steering capability and extending the brak-
ing distance.
Warning!G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction
afforded. The ABS cannot prevent acci-
dents, including those resulting from exces-
sive speed in turns, following another
vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning. Only a
safe, attentive, and skillful driver can pre-
vent accidents. The capabilities of an ABS
equipped vehicle must never be exploited in
a reckless or dangerous manner which
could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.