2–12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt Precautions
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and all passengers always wear seat belts.
(Except Mexico)
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/shoulder belts out of the way when
not in use.
The driver's seat belt has no provisions for child-restraint systems and has only an
emergency locking mode. The driver may wear it comfortably, and it will lock during a
collision.
However, the front passenger's seat and all rear lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in
two modes: emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking
mode. While we recommend you put all children in the rear seats, if you must use the front
passenger seat for a child, slide the front passenger seat as far back as possible and make
sure any child-restraint system is secured properly.
(Mexico)
All the seats have lap/shoulder belts. These belts have retractors with inertia locks that keep
them out of the way when not in use. The locks allow the belts to remain comfortable on
users, but they will lock in position during a collision.
WARNING
Always wear your seat belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained:
Not wearing a seat belt is extremely dangerous. During a collision, occupants not
wearing seat belts could hit someone or things inside the vehicle or even be thrown out of
the vehicle. They could be seriously injured or even killed. In the same collision, occupants
wearing seat belts would be much safer.
Do not wear twisted seat belts:
Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt is not available to
absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt, which could cause
serious injury or death. So, if your seat belt is twisted, you must straighten the seat belt to
remove any twists and to allow the full width of the belt to be used.
Never use one seat belt on more than one person at a time:
Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt used
in this way cannot spread the impact forces properly and the two passengers could
be crushed together and seriously injured or even killed. Never use one belt for more
than one person at a time and always operate the vehicle with each occupant properly
restrained.
% : A ( * ' # ' A ' F K V K Q P K P F D % : A ( * ' # ' A ' F K V K Q P K P F D
3–42
Before Driving
Driving Tips
Hazardous Driving
WARNING
Be extremely careful if it is necessary to
downshift on slippery surfaces:
Downshifting into lower gear
while driving on slippery surfaces is
dangerous. The sudden change in tire
speed could cause the tires to skid. This
could lead to loss of vehicle control
and an accident.
When driving on ice or in water, snow,
mud, sand, or similar hazards:
y Be cautious and allow extra distance for
braking.
y Avoid sudden braking and sudden
maneuvering.
y Do not pump the brakes. Continue to
press down on the brake pedal.
Refer to Antilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 4-58 .
y If you get stuck, select a lower gear and
accelerate slowly. Do not spin the front
wheels.
y For more traction in starting on slippery
surfaces such as ice or packed snow,
use sand, rock salt, chains, carpeting, or
other nonslip material under the front
wheels.
N O T E
Use snow chains only on the front wheels.
Floor Mat
We recommend the use of Genuine
Mazda À oor mats.
WARNING
Make sure the fl oor mats are hooked on
the retention pins to prevent them from
bunching up under the foot pedals:
Using a fl oor mat that is not secured is
dangerous as it will interfere with the
accelerator and brake pedal operation,
which could result in an accident.
Do not install two fl oor mats, one on top
of the other, on the driver's side:
Installing two fl oor mats, one on top
of the other, on the driver's side is
dangerous as the retention pins can
only keep one fl oor mat from sliding
forward.
If using an all weather mat for winter
use always remove the original fl oor
mat.
Loose fl oor mat(s) will interfere with
the foot pedal and could result in an
accident.
When setting a À oor mat, position the À oor
mat so that its grommets are inserted over
the pointed end of the retention posts.
% : A ( * ' # ' A ' F K V K Q P K P F D % : A ( * ' # ' A ' F K V K Q P K P F D