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The following are reasons most often given for not wearing seat belts
(All statistics based on U.S. data):
Reasons given...Consider...
Crashes are rare events 36,700 crashes occur every day.
The more we drive, the more we are
exposed to rareevents, even for
good drivers. 1in4ofuswillbe
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.
I’m not going far 3of4fatal crashes occur within 25
miles of home.
Belts are uncomfortable Seat belts are designed to enhance
comfort. If you are uncomfortable -
try different positions for the seat belt
upper anchorage and seatback which
should be as upright as possible; this
can improve comfort.
I was in a hurry Prime time for an accident.Seat
Belt Warning Chime reminds us to
take a few seconds to buckle up.
Seat belts don’t work Seat belts, when used properly,
reduce risk of death to front seat
occupants by 45% in cars, and by
60% in light trucks.
Traffic is light Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes,many when
no other vehicles are around.
Belts wrinkle my clothes Possibly, but a serious crash can do
much more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.
The people I’m with don’t
wear belts Set the example, teen deaths occur 4
times more often in vehicles with
TWO or MORE people. Children and
younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.
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Reasons given...Consider...
I have an airbag Airbags offer greater protection when
used with seat belts. Frontal airbags
are not designed to inflate in rear and
side crashes or rollovers.
I’d rather be thrown clear Not a good idea. Peoplewho are
ejected are 40 times more likely
to DIE. Seat belts help prevent
ejection, WE CAN’T PICK OUR
CRASH.
WARNING: Do not sit on top of a buckled seat belt or insert a
latchplate into the buckle to avoid the Belt-Minder chime. To
do so may adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s air bag
system and result in serious injury, ejection and death.
One-time disable
If at any time the driver/front passenger quickly buckles then unbuckles
the seat belt for that seating position, the Belt-Minder is disabled for
the current ignition cycle. The Belt-Minder feature will enable during
the same ignition cycle if the occupant buckles and remains buckled for
approximately 30 seconds. Confirmation is not given for the one time
disable.
Deactivating/activating the Belt-Minder feature
The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder are
deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating
one seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will
terminate the process.
Read Steps1-4t horoughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder features can be
deactivated/activated by performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
• The parking brake is set
• The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission)
• The gearshift is in N (Neutral) (manual transmission)
• The ignition switch is in the off position
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•The driver and front passenger seat belts are unbuckled
WARNING: While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder, this system is designed to improve your chances of
being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you
leave the Belt-Minder system activated for yourself and others who
may use the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not
deactivate/activate the Belt-Minder feature while driving the vehicle.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the on position. DO NOT START THE ENGINE.
2. Wait until the seat belt warning light turns off (Approximately one minute).
• Step 3 must be completed within 30 seconds after the seat belt
warning light turns off.
3. For the seating position being disabled, buckle then unbuckle the seat belt three times, ending in the unbuckled state.
• After Step 3, the seat belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
4. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle then unbuckle the seat belt.
• This will disable the Belt-Minder feature for that seating position if it
is currently enabled. As confirmation, the seat belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds.
• This will enable the Belt-Minder feature for that seating position if it
is currently disabled. As confirmation, the seat belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds, followed by three
seconds with the light off, then followed by the seat belt warning light
flashing four times per second for three seconds again.
• After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
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AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)
Important supplemental restraint system (SRS) precautions
The supplemental restraint system
is designed to work with the seat
belt to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain
upper body injuries.
WARNING:Airbags DO
NOT inflate slowly or gently
and the risk of injury from a
deploying airbag is greatest close
to the trim covering the airbag
module.
WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their seat belts, even when an air
bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
WARNING: 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.
4X4
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WARNING:The driver should always hold onto only the rim of
the steering wheel. Never place your arm over the airbag module
or anywhere inside the rim as a deploying airbag can result in serious
arm fractures or other injuries.
Steps you can take 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 notches) from the upright
position.
WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the airbag module
including hands or feet. Placing objects on or over the airbag
inflation area may cause those objects to be propelled by the airbag
into your face and torso causing serious injury.
WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
Airbag Supplemental Restraint Systems or its fuses. See your
authorized Mazda dealership.
WARNING: Modifications to the front end of the vehicle,
including frame, bumper, front end body structure, tow hooks,
and snow plows may affect the performance of the airbag sensors
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the
vehicle.
WARNING: Additional equipment may affect the performance of
the airbag sensors increasing the risk of injury. Consult your
authorized Mazda dealership before installation of additional
equipment.
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Children and airbags
For additional important safety
information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.
WARNING:Children must
always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer
when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions rather than
in the front seating position.
Failure to follow these instructions
may increase the risk of injury in
a collision.
WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat all the way back. Secure the seat and the child in it properly.
How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?
The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates airbag
inflation.
The fact that the airbags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation. Airbags are designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or rear-impacts unless
the collision causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
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The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder or sodium compounds which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.
While the SRS is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with
a deploying airbag may also cause
abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because airbags must
inflate rapidly and with considerable
force, there is the risk of death or
serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or internal
injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly restrained or are
otherwise out of position at the time of airbag deployment. It is
extremely important that occupants be properly restrained as far away
from the airbag module as possible while maintaining vehicle control.
WARNING:Several airbag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation or you may be
burned.
WARNING: If the airbag and seat belt pretensioners have
deployed, the airbag or seat belt pretensioners will not function
again and must be replaced immediately. If the airbag or seat belt
pretensioners are not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
The SRS consists of:
• driver and passenger airbag modules (which include the inflators and
airbags),
• seat-mounted side airbags (if equipped). Refer to Seat-mounted
Seat-mounted side airbag system later in this chapter
• one or more impact and safing sensors,
• a readiness light and tone
• diagnostic module
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•and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
• Side curtain airbag system. Refer to Side curtain airbag systemlater
in this chapter.
• Front passenger sensing system. Refer to Front passenger sensing
system later in this chapter.
• “Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp. Refer to
Front passenger sensing system later in this chapter.
• Seat belt pretensioners
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental airbag electrical system wiring (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the airbag system readiness light, the airbag
back up power and the airbag ignitors.
Front passenger sensing system
The front passenger sensing system is designed to meet the regulatory
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208
and is designed to disable (will not inflate) the front passenger’s frontal
airbag under certain conditions.
The front passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of
the front passenger’s seat and seat belt. The sensors are designed to
detect the presence of a properly seated occupant and determine if the
front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or
disabled (will not inflate).
The front passenger sensing system will disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
• the front passenger seat is unoccupied, or has small/medium objects in
the front seat,
• the system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant
seat that is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions,
• the system determines that a small child is present in a forward-facing
child restraint that is installed according to the manufacturer’s
instructions,
• the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat,
• a front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of
time,
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