Seat belts (BMW 7 Series E38)

General information

Information on emergency seat belt tensioners is provided in Section Supplemental Restraint System (SRS).

All persons in a moving vehicle must fasten their seat belts, as indicated by a buzzer and a special K/L in the instrument cluster (see Part Vehicle equipment, arrangement of instruments and controls). If the driver's or front passenger's seat belt is not fastened when the ignition is on, K/L lights up for 4-8 seconds and a corresponding message is displayed on the instrument cluster display. The buzzer sounds when the driver's or front passenger's seat belt is not fastened and does not go off until the belts are fastened.

The front seat belts and the side rear seats have a diagonal-lap design. A lap seat belt is installed in the center of the rear seat, its buckle is marked with the inscription "CENTER".

It is not permitted to use one seat belt to secure more than one person.

The waist section of the belt should be positioned at hip level so that it covers the seated person's hip joint, as the strongest element of the human skeleton. The shoulder section of the belt should not be passed under the arm or placed on the seated person's neck. Make sure that the belt is not twisted.

Remember that the seat belt is most effective when the seat back is upright. If the seat back is too reclined, the occupant will be more likely to slide under the belt during an impact.

The diagonal-lap type seat belts have three anchor points, one of which is equipped with an inertial return device with automatic locking in case of jerks. Belts of this type do not require length adjustment. The lap type belt has two anchor points; for safety reasons, such a belt should be kept fastened when not in use.

Rules for using seat belts

1. Slowly pull the belt out of the return device and place it over your shoulder (only three-anchor straps) and snap the belt buckle clip into the lock, then pull the shoulder section strap (only three-anchor straps) upwards, checking the reliability of the clamp fixation in the lock. Make sure that the belt strap is not twisted - a twisted belt is dangerous in itself.

2. Lower the lap section of the belt as far as possible, placing it as low on the hips as possible. Pull the shoulder section of the three-anchor belt to take up the slack and try to achieve a tight fit – tighten the belt as necessary. The strap should pass diagonally across the occupant's chest so that the impact load falls mainly on the strongest part of the upper torso.

3. The driver of the vehicle, having fastened his seat belt, must ensure that all passengers are also properly fastened.

4. To unfasten the belt, press the red button located on the lock body. When the belt is wound up by the drum of the retractor, hold it by the buckle. After leaving the car, make sure that the belt is not caught in the door.

Do not attach pads or other objects to the seat belt webbing. Adding additional devices or changing the position of the shoulder section attachment may reduce the effectiveness of the seat belts and increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Recommendations for pregnant women

Ensuring the safety of a pregnant woman is the best way to preserve the fetus in the event of an accident, so when driving a car (as a driver or passenger) a pregnant woman must wear a seat belt, paying particular attention to the correct placement of its sections relative to her body.



When using diagonal-waist belts, remember that the waist section of the belt should be positioned as low as possible on the hips and should never be on the stomach.

A pregnant woman should also take an upright position on the seat. In this case, the front seat should be moved as far away from the dashboard as possible, which will reduce the risk of injury and mutilation not only for the pregnant woman but also for the fetus in the event of an accident or deployment of the front airbag.

At each visit to your supervising physician, consult whether it is advisable for you to drive a car.

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