belt AUDI A4 2016 User Guide

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... ~ Press and hold the release button in the selec­
tor lever handle, select the desired selector lev­
er position such as D/5 and release the button.
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted
(you w ill fee l a slight movement) .
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac ­
celerate .
Stopp ing tem pora ril y
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerator pedal when doing
th is .
~ To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the park ing brake when stop­
ping on steep inclines ¢
,&.
~ The pa rking brake w ill release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /park ing
If the se lecto r lever is not in the P position when
you open the d river 's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
Tr an smi ssion: Car ma y roll! Shift
t o pa rk!
appears .
~ Press and hold the brake pedal unt il the vehicle
has come to a comp lete stop.
~ Apply the pa rking brake ¢ page 86, Parking .
~ Select the P selector leve r position ¢ .&,.
Stopp ing on an incline
~ Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi­
cl e in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢
,& . Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in ­
c reasing the eng ine speed ¢(!).
Starting on an incline
~ Activate the parki ng b rake .
~ With the driving gea r se lected, press the acce l­
erator pedal caref ully. The parking b rake will
r e lease automatically if your seat belt is fas­
tened .
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, suc h as dr iv ing in
the mountai ns, it may be usef ul to switch tempo­
rari ly to the manua l shift program in order to ad-
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
just the gears to the driv ing conditions by hand
¢ page 94.
On slopes, act ivate the park ing brake first and
then move the selec to r l ever to the P posi tion .
T his prevents too m uch stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism .
Vehicles with mult itro nic tr ansmission : Your ve­
hicle is equipped wi th
hill hold assist allowing
you to start whi le on an incl ine. The system is ac­
tivated when the brake peda l is pressed down
and held
for a few second s. The brake pressure
will ho ld for
a momen t after the brake peda l
loosens to prevent the veh icle from rolling back­
wards while starting up .
A WARNING
--The vehicle can also ro ll when the eng ine is
stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se­ rious injury .
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
running while in gear .
If you must leave
your ve hicle when the eng ine is running, ac­
tivate t he pa rking brake and move the selec­
tor lever to P.
- Power is still transmi tted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creepi ng", yo u m ust
keep your foot on the brake when the en ­
gine is running and the selector lever is in D/
Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is se lected .
- Do not press the acce le ra t or peda l when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
running.
- Never sh ift into R or P whi le driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce your speed and sh ift into a lower gear w ith
"t i ptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hi ll. Constant brak ing causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces brak ing performance, increases brak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
~
93

Automat ic t ra nsm iss io n
-To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, a lways hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
s li pping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . An indicator lamp
mJ illuminates
and a driver message appears
~ page 96
when the cl utch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any dr iv ing pos ition engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure these ­
lector lever has secure ly engaged and is
locked in P with the parking bra ke set
~ page 203. Otherwise, any increase in en ­
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
- S tronic- and tiptron ic transmission: When
stopping on an incline, do not try to ho ld
the vehicle in place by pressing the acce lera­
tor pedal while a driving gear is selected.
This can cause the transm ission to overheat
and can damage it. Activate the parking brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rol ling .
- S tronic- and tiptron ic transmission: Allow­
i ng the veh icle to roll when the eng ine is
stopped and the selector leve r is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
l ub ricated under those c ircumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with multitro nic/5 tronic/tip tronic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
H ill descent control is activated when the selec ­
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission au tomatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the in cl ine. Hill descent con-
94
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physica l and techn ical
li mitations .
It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
l evels out or you press the accel erator pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
~ page 88 , hill descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
./1. WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions . A lways
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
Using the manual shift program you con man ­
ually select gears.
Fig. 108 Cente r co n sole: s hift in g the gea rs m anually
Fig. 109 Stee ring whee l: shift paddle s•
Gear selection w ith selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be se lected either w ith
the veh icle stat ionary or on the move .
"' N N
N
"' CD m
N ~ N ><'. co m

..... N
0 ::..:: co ,...., Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar­
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in­
terest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep the complete Owner's Litera­
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and
passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce
the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in tech­
nology have made a var iety of features available
to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
Driving safety
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seat ing pos itions,
- be lt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a w ide range of accidents. These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly.
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside .
.. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
c:::>page 65.
.. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restraints according to their height.
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
c:::> page 158, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
c:::> page 59, Seats
and storage.
121

Driving safety
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly . Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts properly
<:!) page 130.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver 's abili­
ty to concentrate on the rood without being dis ­
tracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road
Q ,&. . Therefore :
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
• NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
• Observe all traff ic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense .
• AL WAYS ad just you r speed to road, traffic and
weathe r cond itions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not d rive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres ­
s u re or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal injury and death whe never a
vehicle is being used .
122
.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 138 Co rrect seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the drive r's seat to the following
pos ition:
• Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
c:> ,&. .
• Ad just the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t with it when you dr ive.
• Ad just the steer ing wheel so that t here is a d is­
t ance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steer ing whee l and your breast bone
Q fig. 138 .
If not possible, see your authorized A udi dealer
about adaptive equipment.
• Ad just the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at yo ur face .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing wheel with your
elbow(s) sligh tly bent.
• App lies to veh icles with adjustable hea d re­
s trai nts: Adjus t the head restraint so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of your
head . If that is not possible, try to ad just the
head restraint so that it is as close to this pos i­
tion as possible .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:> poge 133.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at a ll times .

..... N
0 :,,:: co ..... ,J:> Lil
..... ,J:> .....
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 60.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out­
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the r isk of personal in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­ sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must a lways ride in child safety
seats¢
page 158 . Special precautions ap­
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat ¢
page 138 .
Driving safety
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
" Move the front passenger seat back as far as
possible . There must be a minimum of 10 in­
ches (25 cm) between the breastbone and the
instrument panel¢.&, .
"Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
" Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
straints : Adjust the head restraint so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of your
head . If that is not possible, try to adjust the
head restraint so that it is as close to this posi­
tion as possible .
" Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
" Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 133.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenge r's seat, see ¢
page 59.
A WARNING ~
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located .
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
-Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front passen­
ger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
123

Driving safety
-Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat in-
'
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 158. Special precaut ions ap­
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 138.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and b e properly restrained wh enever the ve­
hicle i s in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench sea t must always observe the follow­
ing:
... Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position ¢
page 69.
... If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restra int up­
ward at least to the next notch .
... Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety be lts properly
¢ page 133.
... Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age¢
page 158.
124
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body . By not sit­
ting upr ight, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
-Always adjust the head restraint properly so
that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adjustable head restra ints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 139 He ad restraint : viewe d from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection .
... Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head . If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible ¢
fig. 139 .
... If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restraint up­
ward at least to the next notch .
Adjusting head restraints¢
page 61.

..... N
0 ::..:: co ,...., & WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints. Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injury:
-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
whi le driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to adjust the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
q page 158.
Examples of improper seating positions
-
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in­
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im­
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit­
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especia lly for children. Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
q& ,
Driving safety
The following bulletins list only some sample po ­
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
-Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely w ithout in­
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners .
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav-
el is required to bring the vehicle to a fu ll stop . .,._
125

Safety belt s
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safe ty belts correctly saves lives!
This chapte r explains why safety be lts a re neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correct ly.
.. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of ser ious personal
injury and dea th .
- Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
mea ns ava ilab le to reduce the risk of serious
injury and dea th in automob ile accidents .
For yo ur protect ion and that of your passe n­
gers, alw ays co rre ctly wea r sa fety be lt s
when the veh icle is moving .
- Pregnant wom en, in ju re d, o r physically i m­
paired persons mus t also use s afety be lts.
L ik e all vehi cle o ccu pants, they are mo re
li kely to be serio usly injure d if th ey do no t
wea r safety be lts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mothe r -th roughout
the ent ire pregnancy .
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat­
i n g position has a safety belt.
&_ WARNING
N ot wea ring safety bel ts or weari ng them im­
properly increases th e r isk of ser ious personal
inju ry and dea th.
- N ever st rap more tha n one perso n, includ­
ing small ch ildren, into a ny be lt .
It is espe­
ci ally dan gerous to pla ce a sa fety bel t over a
c hild s itting on you r lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in t he vehicle
t h an t he re are saf ety bel ts availab le.
130
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
be lt or ch ild restraint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and (on USA models only) front seat passenger
to remind you about the importance of buckling­
up .
Fig. 141 Safety belt wa rning lig ht in th e in st rument clu s­
ter -enl arged
Before driv ing off , alway s:
.. Fasten your sa fety belt and make sure you are
wearing it prope rly.
(0
"'
"' 0 N .. Make sure that your passengers a lso buc kle up
and proper ly wea r th eir safety belts .
.. Protec t your ch ildren with a ch ild rest raint sys­
tem app ropr iate for the size and age of the chil­
dren .
The . war ning light i n the instrument cluste r
l ights up when the ig nition is swi tched on as a re­
minde r to fas ten t he safety be lts. In addition,
yo u w ill hea r a wa rn ing tone for a ce rt ain per io d
of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their safe­
ty belts.

,....,
N
0
""' CX) ,....,
I.Cl U"I ,....,
I.Cl ,....,
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 142 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a wall
Fig . 143 The vehicle crashes into the wall
CD
~ ± The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var ­
ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi­
neers call this energy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Veh icle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts¢
fig. 142, they will keep mov ing
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall
¢fig. 143.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
Safety belts
(2,000 lbs. o r 1,000 kg) or more . At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 144 A driver not wearing a safety belt is v iolently
thrown forward
Fig. 145 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt will f ly
forwa rd and strike the
driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves . Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam viol ently into the steering wheel, in­
strument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the way
¢fi g. 144. This impact with the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash.
Ill>-
131

Safe ty belts
Never rely o n airbags alone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection. A irbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are a lways there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in wh ic h
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready dep loyed. Unbel ted occupants can
a lso be thrown o ut of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injur ies can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass enge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbelted passengers
i n t he rea r seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~ fig . 145. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
F ig . 14 6 Driver is correctly restrai ned in a sudde n braking
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap­
plied to the body in an accident, and he lp prevent
the uncont rolled moveme nt that can cause seri­
ous injur ies. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the veh icle .
132
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car an d give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tole rab le" and less likely to cause inj ury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re ­
duce the r isk o f injury in ot her kinds of crashes.
So, whethe r yo u're on a long trip or just going to
the cor ne r store, a lways b uckle up and make s ure
othe rs do, too. Ac ciden t stat ist ics show that veh i­
cl e o ccupants prope rly wearing safety bel ts have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a m uch better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
li sion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear co l­
li sions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceleration throug h impa ct to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly rest rained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de ­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .