belt AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2015 User Guide

78 On the road
th e chi ldren could start the engine, re­
lease the parking brake or operate e lec ­
trical equipment (e.g. power windows) .
The re is the risk of an accide nt.
- When the vehicle is locked, no one -par­
t icu larly not ch ildren should remain in
the vehicle . Locked doors make it more
difficult for emergency wor kers to get in­
to the vehicle -putt ing lives a t risk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon
starting .
Stopping and applying parking br ake
• Pull the switch(®) to apply the park ing
brake.
Starting and automat ically releasing the
parking brake
• When you start to d rive as usua l, the park­
ing brake is automatically re leased and your
vehicle begins to move .
When stopp ing at a traff ic signa l or stopp ing
i n city t raffic, t he parking brake can be ap­
plied. The veh icle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The park ing brake elimi ­
nates the tendency to c reep with a d rive ra nge
engaged. As soon as you dr ive off as usua l,
the park ing brake is released automati cally
and the veh icle star ts to move .
Starting on slopes
When starting on incl ines, the start ing ass ist
p revents the veh icle from unintentionally ro ll­
i ng ba ck. The braking force of t he pa rking
b rake i s not rele ased until sufficient dr iv ing
for ce has been b uilt up at the whee ls.
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re­
leased autom ati cally only when the dr iv­
er 's sa fe ty belt i s engage d in the bu ck le.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys­
tem fails or locks .
• In an emergency, pull the switc h(® ) and
con tinue to pull it to slow your ve hicle down
w ith the park ing brake.
• As soon as you release the switch (®) or ac-
c e lerate, t he b ra ki ng process stops.
If you pu ll the switch (®) and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen­
cy brak ing f unct ion is init iated . T he ve hicle is
braked at all fou r whee ls by a ctivating the hy ­
draulic brake sy stem. The br ake pe rfor mance
i s sim ilar to ma king an emergency stop~&. .
In order not to act ivate the eme rgency brak­
ing by mis take, an audib le warni ng tone (bu z­
z er) sounds whe n the swit ch(®) is pulled . As
soon as t he sw itch (®) is re leased , or the acce l­
era tor peda l is depressed, eme rgency braking
stops.
_& WARNING ,_
Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the norma l foot bra ke
has fa iled or the brake pedal is obstructed.
Using the parki ng brake to perform eme r­
gency b raking will s low your veh icle down
as if you had made a full bra ke application .
The law s of physi cs cannot be su spen ded
even wi th ESC and i ts asso ciated com po­
nents (ABS, A SR, EDL) . In corners and
when road o r weathe r con ditions are bad,
a full brake application can ca use the vehi­
cle to sk id or the rear end to break away -
risking an accident.
Speed warning system
, Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified ma ximum sp eed .
The speed warn ing system warns you if you
are exceeding the maximum speed that you
have set . You will hear a warning tone when

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lever is left in N (Neutral) for more than ap­
proximately 2 second, without the brake ped­
al being pressed .
Release button
The release button on the selector lever pre­
vents the leve r from being accidentally shifted
into certa in positions. Depending on the direc­
tion of the shift, the se lector lever locks at d if­
ferent positions. The positions are highlighted in the illustration
c!> fig . 118.
Driving the automatic transmission
Fig. 119 Shift gate on the c ente r conso le: se lector le v­
er with release button
Starting the engine
.,. The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and hold the release button in these­
l ector lever handle, se lect the desired se lec­
tor lever position such as 0/5 and release
the button .
.,. Wait briefly until the transmission has shift­
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
.,. Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
acce lerate.
Stopping temporarily
.,. Keep the vehicle stationary using the brak­
ing pedal, for example at traffic lights .
.,. Do not press the accelerator pedal when do­
ing this .
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c!> .&,.
Automatic Transmission 105
.,. The parking brake will release automatica lly
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could roll . The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park!
appears .
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal un til the ve-
hicle has come to a complete stop .
.,. App ly the parking b rake
c::> page 77, Parking.
.,. Select the P selector lever position c::> .&,.
Stopping on an incline
.,. Always
press the brake pedal to hold the ve­
hicle in place and prevent it from "rol ling
back"
c::> .&, . Do not try to prevent the vehi­
cle from "rolling back" when a gear is en­
gaged by increasing the engine speed
c::>(D.
Starting on an incline
.,. Activate the parking brake.
.,. With the driving gear selected, press the ac­
celerator pedal carefully. The parking brake
wi ll release automatically if your seat belt is
fast ened .
Under certain circumstances, such as driving
in the mountains, it may be useful to switch
temporarily to the manual shift program in or­
der to adjust the gears to the driving condi ­
tions by hand
c::>page 107.
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position.
This prevents too much stress from being placed on the locking mechanism.
A WARNING
-
- The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear . If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,

106 Automatic Tran sm iss ion
activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is sti ll transmitted to the whee ls
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is runn ing and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when changing the selector lever pos ition
wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary and the
eng ine is running.
- Never shift into
R or P wh ile driving.
- Before driv ing down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tip tronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
peda l too often or too long when dr iving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to ove rheat and s ubstant ially re­
duces braking per formance, increases
braking distance or causes comp lete fail ­
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the veh icle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, a lways hold it
in place with the brake peda l o r parking
brake.
- Never hold the ve hicle on an incl ine with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto­
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload. An indicator lamp
ml illu­
minates and a dr iver message appears
¢ page 1O7when the clutch is overload­
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
hav e any driv ing pos ition engaged when
c heck ing under the hood . M ake sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locke d in P with the parking brake se t
¢page 211. Otherwise, any increase in
engine speed may set the vehicle in mo­
t ion, eve n with the park ing brake ap­
plied.
Qd) Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try to hol d the vehicle in place by pressing the acce
lerator pedal while a d riving gear
is se lected. This can cause the transmis­
sion to ove rheat and can damage it. Acti­
vate the parking brake or press the brake peda l to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to ro ll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated under those cir­
cumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when t he driv­
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is suitable fo r the incline . H ill de­
scent cont ro l tries to ma inta in the speed ach­
ieved a t the time o f braking, with in phys ica l
and tec hni cal lim it a tions. If may st ill be nec ­
essary to ad just the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent contro l sw itches off once the de­
cl in e leve ls o ut o r yo u press the a cce le rato r
peda l.
On vehicles with the cru ise cont ro l system*
~ page 79, hill descent control is also activat­
ed whe n the speed is set.
A WARNING
-
Hill desce nt cont ro l cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be a ble
to maintain a constant speed unde r a ll
conditions. A lways be ready to apply the
brakes .

120 Driving Saf ely
Driving Safely
General notes
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
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures described in this sec tions 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
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt prete nsioners ,
- safety belt force lim iters fo r the front seats,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for
the front seats ,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats *
- side airbags in the front seats a nd outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags ,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- hea d restr aints for each sea ting pos ition,
- ad justab le s teer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
ge ther as a system to help protect you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents .
T hese features canno t wo rk as a system if
they are not always cor re ct ly adjusted and co r­
rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody' s respon sibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu ­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers,
befor e driv ing always:
.. Make s ure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly.
.. Make sure that the t ire pressure is correct .
.. Make s ure t hat all windows are clean and af­
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage a nd other items caref ully
q page 64, q page 61 .
.. Ma ke s ure t hat nothing can interfe re wi th
the peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to the ir height . .,..

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.. Make sure to use the right child rest raint
correct ly to protect children
Q page 165,
Child Safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 53,
General recommendations .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 130 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver 's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
veh icle and all of its occupants.
If your ability
to drive is impai red, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
A.
Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traff ic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 121
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 146 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing position:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi ­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢.&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
Q fig. 146. If not possible, see your au ­
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive
equipment .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. For adjustable head restra ints: 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 re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as poss ible. Move the head restraint so that
it is as close to the back of the head as pos-
sible . .,.

122 Driving Safely
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
9 page 133.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
t imes.
Fo r detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<=> page 54.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds . To help
reduce 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 breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock
positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury 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. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats properly and make sure that all
passengers are properly restrained. -
For adjustable head restraints: before
driving, always also adjust the head re­
straints properly.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­ hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
<=> page 165. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat <=>
page 139.
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
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact w ith it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• For ad justab le head restra ints: 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 re ­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible <=>
page 124 . Move the head re­
straint so that it is as close to the back of
the head 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 passenger's seat, see
<=> page 53. ...

M N
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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 air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position 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 po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas­
senger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- 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
passenger seat properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before
driving, always also adjust the head re­
straints properly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢ page 165. Special precautions apply
Driving Safely 123
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 139.
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 be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use .
To red uce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas ­
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
... For ad justab le head restraints: 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 re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
c>page 124 .
... Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
... Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c>page 133 .
... Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
c> page 165.
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 protec­
tion when the safety belts are properly
positioned on the body and securely
latched. By not sitting upright, a rear
seat passenger increases the risk of per­
sonal injury from improperly positioned
safety belts!
- For adjustable head restraints: always
adjust the head restraint properly so that
it can give maximum protection.
•
•

124 Driving Safel y
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adj ustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore on im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re­
straint system and con help to reduce the risk of injuries in occident situations.
F ig . 147 H ead re str ain t: vi ew ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection .
.. Adjust the head restr aint so the uppe r 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
c:> fig . 147. Move
the head restraint so that it is as close to the
back of the head as possible.
Adjusting head restraints ¢
page 56.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Driv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of serious or fa­
tal neck injury dramat ically . To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int .
-Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos- sible.
Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint .
- Ch ildren must always be properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their age and size ¢
page 165.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only re ­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore
properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death . Safety belts can only wo rk
when they are properly positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in­
crease the r isk o f injury and death by moving
the safety belt to critica l areas of the body .
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu ­
pants and espec ially for children . Therefore :
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢_& .
The following bulletins list only some sample pos itions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death . Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seating po ­
s itions 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
- neve r lie down on the rear seat

130 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se­
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns m ust also use safety
belts. Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat­
ing position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases th e risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe ­
ty belt or child restra int.
t Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up .
Fi g. 14 8 Safety belt warni ng light in the instrument
cluster -en larged
Before driv ing off, alway s:
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure that your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect childre n w ith a child restraint sys-
tem app ropriate for the s ize and age.
The warn ing light . in the instrument clus­
ter lights up when the ign ition is on as a re­
minder to fasten the safety be lts. In addition,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a ce rtai n pe ri­
od of t ime.
Fasten you r safety belt and make sure that
your pass eng ers also properly put on the ir
s afety belt s.
A WARNING .....=-
-Safety b elts are the s ingle most eff ect ive
means avai lable to reduce t he ri sk of se­
rio us inju ry and de ath in au tomobile a cci­
dents. Fo r you r protection and that of
your passengers, a lways cor rectly wear
safety belts when t he vehicle is moving .

"' N
a:: I.J ' "' ,....,
"' rl
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 149 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 150 The vehicle cras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
ergy."
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.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 149, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 150.
Safety belts 131
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 (2,000 lbs, or 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 colli­
sion 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 app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col­
lisions.
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. 151 A driver not wea ring a safety be lt is vio lently
th rown forward
Fig. 152 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt
w ill fly forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained .,..