Page 43 of 417

Accident statistics have shown properly worn
seat belts to be an eff
ective means of sub-
stantially reducing the risk of injury and im-
proving the chances of survival in a serious
accident. Furthermore, properly worn seat
belts improve the protection provided by air-
bags in the event of an accident. This is why
wearing a seat belt is a legal requirement in
most countries.
Although the vehicle is equipped with air-
bags, the seat belts must be fastened and
worn. For example, the front airbags will be
triggered only in certain types of frontal colli-
sion. The front airbags will not be triggered
during minor frontal collisions, minor side
collisions, rear collisions, rolls or accidents in
which the airbag trigger threshold in the con-
trol unit is not exceeded. The same applies to
the other airbags in the vehicle.
Therefore, always wear your seat belt and en-
sure that your passengers have fastened their
seat belts properly before you drive off. Using seat belts
Please refer to at the start of the chap-
ter on page 36.
Checklist :
q Check the condition of all seat belts reg-
ularly.
q Keep the seat belts clean.
q A
void allowing any foreign bodies or flu-
ids to get on to the seat belt or latch
plate or into the slot for the seat belt
buckle.
q Do not trap or damage the seat belt and
latch plate, for example when closing
the door.
q Never remove, modify or repair the seat
belt or any part of the belt fixture sys-
tem. q
Always fasten the seat belt correctly be-
f
ore every journey and keep it fastened
while the vehicle is in motion. Fastening and unfastening
seat belts
Please refer to at the start of the chap-
ter on page 36.
If worn properly, seat belts hold the v
ehicle
occupants in the correct sitting position dur-
ing an accident or braking manoeuvre, pro-
viding maximum protection
Page 48 of 417
Speed range
The basic function of the proactiv
e occupant
protection system is available when driving
forwards at speeds from approx. 30 km/h
(19 mph).
Displays
In the event of intervention by the
proactive occupant protection sys-
tem, the red warning lamp lights up
on the instrument cluster display. Functions of the proactive oc-
cupant protection system
Please refer to at the start of the chap-
ter on page 45.
Basic functions
The f
ollowing functions may be triggered in-
dividually or together in critical driving situa-
tions, e.g. in the event of emergency braking,
understeer and oversteer or minor collisions:
Page 53 of 417

Whether or not the airbag triggers is deter-
mined by the v
ehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
electronic control unit. If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the airbags will not be triggered,
even though the vehicle may be badly dam-
aged as a result of the collision. Vehicle dam-
age, repair costs or even the lack of vehicle
damage in an accident do not necessarily
give an indication of whether an airbag
should inflate or not. It is not possible to de-
fine a range of vehicle speeds and reference
values, since the circumstances will vary con-
siderably between one collision and another.
It is therefore impossible to cover every pos-
sible kind and angle of impact that would
trigger the airbags. Important factors in the
triggering of the airbag include the nature
(hard or soft) of the object that the vehicle
hits, the angle of impact, and the vehicle
speed.
Airbags only serve as a supplement to the
three-point seat belt in some accident situa-
tions when the vehicle deceleration is suffi-
cient to trigger the airbags. Airbags can only
be triggered once and only in certain situa-
tions. The seat belts are always there to pro-
vide protection in situations where airbags
are not normally triggered or where they
have already been triggered, for example if
the vehicle collides with another vehicle after
the first collision or is hit by another vehicle.
The airbag system is part of the vehicle
Page 123 of 417