A seat belt which is not worn correctly, or which has not been engaged in the seat belt buckle correctly, cannot perform its intended protective function. Under certain circumstances this could cause severe or even fatal injuries.

Make sure that all occupants in particular, pregnant women wear their seat belt correctly at all times.

• The seat belt must pass closely over your body and must not be twisted. You should therefore avoid wearing bulky clothing (e.g. a winter coat). The shoulder belt section must be routed across the middle of your shoulder on no account across your neck or under your arm and pulled tight against your upper body. The lap belt must always pass across your lap as low down as possible, i.e. over your hip joints not across your abdomen. If necessary, tighten the belt strap by pulling it down slightly and retighten in the direction of the inertia reel.

• Do not route the belt strap across sharp or fragile objects, especially if these are located on or in your clothing, e.g. spectacles, pencils, keys, etc. The seat belt strap could be damaged and tear in an accident and you or other vehicle occupants could be injured.

• Only one person should use each seat belt at any one time. On no account should children travel sitting on your lap or the lap of another occupant, as it would not be possible to restrain the child in the event of an accident, braking or a sudden change in direction, which could result in severe or even fatal injuries to the child and other occupants.

• Persons less than 1.50 m tall cannot wear the seat belts correctly. For this reason, secure persons less than 1.50 m tall in specially designed, suitable restraint systems.

• Children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age cannot wear the seat belts properly. Therefore, always secure these children in suitable child restraint systems on suitable vehicle seats. You can find more information under “Children in the vehicle” in the “Safety” section of the Owner's Manual. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions when fitting the child restraint system.

• Do not secure any objects with a seat belt if the seat belt is also being used by one of the vehicle's occupants.

A seat belt can only afford its intended degree of protection if the backrest is positioned as close to the vertical as possible and the occupant is sitting upright. Avoid seat positions that do not allow the seat belt to be routed correctly. You will find further information under "Seat" in the index. Position the backrest as close to the vertical as possible. Do not drive with the backrest reclined too far back. Otherwise, you could be seriously or even fatally injured in the event of an accident or sudden braking.

The seat-belt extender must be retracted when the vehicle is in motion. Only then can the seat belt fit properly on the body and perform its protective function.

You could be injured in an accident if you use seat belts which:

• are damaged

• have been subjected to a load in an accident

• have been modified

The seat belts can then neither operate as intended nor perform their protective function as intended.

Do not route the belt strap across sharp edges. It could tear in the event of an accident.

Make sure that the seat belt is not caught in the door or in the seat adjustment mechanism. It could be damaged.

Check regularly that the seat belts are not damaged.

You should never modify the seat belts yourself. They might not function properly any more.

Always have seat belts which have been damaged or subjected to a heavy load in an accident replaced at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools for the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop