keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R
When using a seat belt to secure infant or
toddler restraints or children in booster
seats, always follow the child seat man-
ufacturer’s instructions.
Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs)
and seat belt force limiters
The seat belts are equipped with Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices and seat belt
force limiters.
Emergency Tensioning Devices are
designed to activate in the following
cases:
R
in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing the system deployment threshold
R
if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly
R
in collisions with high vehicle decel-
eration/acceleration in the longitudi-
nal direction, e.g. a head-on collision
R
on passenger side when the seat is occu-
pied and the seat belt is fastened
R
independently of the front air bags
When activated, Emergency Tensioning
Devices remove slack from the seat belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Seat belt force
limiters, when activated, reduce the force
exerted by the seat belts on occupants dur-
ing a crash.
When the emergency tensioning device is
triggered, the SRS indicator lamp 6 in
the instrument cluster illuminates, see
“SRS indicator lamp” (Y page 166).
G
WARNING
Once they have been triggered, Emergency
Tensioning Devices will no longer function
properly and must be replaced. smart rec-
ommends that you visit a qualified work-
shop to have this done. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related sys-
tems must be carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Comply with safety regulations when dis-
posing of Emergency Tensioning Devices.
These regulations are available at any
smart center.
The belt force limiter is designed to oper-
ate in unison with the front air bag, which
absorbs a portion of the seat belt’s decel-
erating forces, distributing the load over
a larger area.
In the event of a head-on or rear-end col-
lision, the emergency tensioning device is
activated if the vehicle is decelerated or
accelerated sufficiently in the longitudi-
nal direction at the start of impact with the
ignition switched on.
Air bags
Air bags can reduce the severity of inju-
ries in serious collisions, e.g. in a head-
on collision or a side impact.
G
WARNING
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury in certain frontal impacts
(front air bags and knee bags), or side
impacts (head-thorax air bags, window
curtain air bags and thorax-pelvis air
bags) which may cause significant inju-
ries. However, no system available today
can completely eliminate injuries and
fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust is neither injurious to your
health, nor does it indicate a fire in the
vehicle. The dust might cause some tempo-
rary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of
the vehicle after the air bag inflates, then
get fresh air by opening a window or door.
Occupant safety
33
>> Safety.
Z
