In a system having a control unit for triggering a restraint system for vehicles, and having a status acquisition device, such as a seat occupation device, from which a data record describing the presence or the non-presence of the condition is transmitted to the control device, upon a defined stimulation signal from the control unit to the status acquisition device the latter transmits a second data record to the control unit, which corresponds to the type characteristics and the type data. Thereby, type data are able to be recorded even in the case of a status acquisition device installed in an obstructed way in a motor vehicle.