AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2016 Owners Manual

.. Make sure to use the right chi ld restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
~ page 159, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 52, Gen­
eral information.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts p roperly
¢ page 127.
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 road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants. If you r ability to
d rive is impaired, safety risks for eve rybody in the
vehicle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢A -Therefore :
.. Do not let you rself be dist racted by passengers
or by us ing a cellular te lephone .
.. NEVER dr ive when your dr iv ing 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.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond itions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
s ur e o r when you are st ressed.
_& WARNING
Impaired dr iv ing safety inc reases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
.
Dr iving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
F ig. 141 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the dr iver 's seat to the fo llowing
pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keep ing your knee(s) slightly bent¢&_ .
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adj ust the steer ing wheel so that there is a d is­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 141.
If not poss ible, see your author ized A udi deal­
ership about adapt ive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. For adjustab le head rest raints: Adjust the head
rest raint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos ­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this posit ion as possible. Move the
head restraint so that it is as close to the back
of t he head as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
Qpage 130. ..,.
119

Driving safety
"' Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c;, page 53.
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 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 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 risk 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 inflates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the su pplemen­
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
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained .
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
120
-
-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 always ride in child seats
c:;, page 159 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c:;, page 135.
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 accident , we recommend
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 with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"'For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c:;, page 121 . Move the head restraint 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
c;,page 130.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:;, page 52 .
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.
Ill-

-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 pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­ ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment 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 pas­
senger seat properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
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
tilted 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 seats
c> page 159. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 135.
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 ve­
hicle is 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 seat must always observe the follow­
ing:
Driving safety
.,. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c>page 121 .
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c> page 130.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and ager:!;>
page 159.
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 safety belts are properly posi­
tioned on the body and securely latched. By not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger in­
creases the risk of personal injury from im­
properly positioned safety belts!
- For adjustable head restraints: always ad­
just the head restraint properly so that it
can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to: vehicles with adjusta ble head restraints
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. 142 Head restraint: viewed from the front
121

Driving sa fe ty
The head restraints must be correc tly adjusted to
achieve the best protection .
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as poss ible 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 ib le ¢
fig . 142. Move the head restraint so
that it is as close to the back of the head as
poss ible.
Adjusting head restraints ¢
page 55.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Dr iv ing without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of ser ious or fatal nec k inju ry
dramatically. To help reduce the r isk of injury:
-Always dr ive with the head restraints in
place and properly adj usted .
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra int so the uppe r edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of you r head.
If that is not possib le, t ry to adjust the head
restra int so that it is as close to th is posi tion
as possib le. Move the head restr aint so that
it is as close to the back of the head as pos ­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjus t head restraint
whi le driving. If you have dr iven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle sa fely before at­
tempting to ad just the head restra int.
- Children must always be proper ly restrained
in a chi ld restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
¢page 159.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated.
Imp roper seating positions can cause se rious in­
jury or deat h. Safety belts can only work when
122
they a re prope rly positioned on t he body . Im ­
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase t he risk of
i njury and death by moving the safety belt to cr it­
i ca l areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the r isk of serious i nju ry and death
whe n an airbag deploys and str ikes a n occupant
who is not in the proper sea ting posit io n. A dr iver
i s respons ible fo r th e safety of al l veh icle occu ­
pan ts and espe cially for children . Therefore:
.,. Never allow anyone to assume a n incor rect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
¢ _& .
The following bulletins list only some samp le po­
s it ions that will increase the r is k of se rious injury
and death . Our hope is that t hese examples w ill
make yo u mo re awa re of seating posi tions that
are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up aga inst the ins trumen t pa nel
- neve r sit on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never p ut your feet on the instr ument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat c ushion or back
of t he seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo a rea
A WARNING
I mp roper se ating positions inc re ase the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and dea th whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
s tay in a pro per seating posit ion and a re
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .

Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to: vehicles with knee airb ags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in­
flate without interference . Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (children) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat . If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob­
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without 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 full stop .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri­
ous inJury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
we ll. An object could get into the pedal area
Driving safety
and interfere with pedal function . In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at­ tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals.
• Make sure that the floor mats are properly se­
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals <=>,&. .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un­
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position. You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor
mats will prevent them from sliding into posi­
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im­
pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways.
A WARNING ..__
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­
erly secured.
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering with the ped­ als or the ability to control the vehicle .
- Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
cover ings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly re instal l and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell whi le the vehicle is ..,
123

Driving safety
moving. Objects can becom e trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of vehicle control.
Storing cargo correctly
loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
teristics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma­ neuver or in a collision.
.., Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
.., Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
possible.
... Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
c::;, page 62, Luggag e compartm ent.
... Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
la tched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­ sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury :
- Always put objects , for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
124 -
Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
c::;,page 118.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
-If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­ ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.

-Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants m ust al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog­
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the t rim panel. Be su re to
keep these slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. T he tire p ressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The tire p ressure lab el is lo­
cate d on t he d river 's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommend ed cold
t ire infla tio n pr essures for the vehicle at its
m aximum c ap aci ty weig ht and t he tires that
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man ­
ufactu red. For recommended tire p ressures
fo r normal load con ditions, please see chap ­
ter
c:> page 229.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use t he tie -downs to secure your c argo p roperly
c':> page 124, Loading the luggage compartment .
In a coll is io n, the laws of physi cs mean th at even
s ma ller i tems th at are loose i n the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can c ause ser ious in ­
jury. Items in the ve hicl e possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Veh icle speed is the most s ignif icant facto r.
F or examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing o n a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are a bout 20 times the no rma l
weight of the item. Th is means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagi ne the injuries
that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing free ly throug h
the passenger compartmen t could cause in a co l­
l ision like this .
Driv ing safety
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure items to tie-dow ns can fai l dur ing hard
br aking or in a collision and cause ser io us per­
sona l injury.
- Always us e suitable moun ting straps and
p rop erly secure i tems to the tie- downs in
the l uggage comp artme nt to help preven t
item s fr om sh ift ing o r flying forw ard a s dan­
ge rous missiles .
- Wh en the rear sea t back res t is folde d down,
a lways u se su itable moun ting str aps a nd
p roper ly se cure i tems to the tie- down s in
the l uggage compa rtment to help preven t
items from flying forwar d as dange rous
miss iles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down .
-
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect whi ch could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immedia tely in­
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Admini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com­plaints, it may open an investiga­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a rec all and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
in dividual problems between you, ..,
125

Driving safety
your dealer, or Audi of America, Inc.
To contact the NHTSA, you may either call:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or
1-800-424-9393
or you may write to: NHTSA
U.S. Department of Transporta­
tion 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E .
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
You can also obtain other infor­mation about motor vehicle safe­
ty from:
http:/ /www .safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­
lieve that your vehicle has a de­
fect that could cause a crash, in­
jury or death, you should immedi­
ately inform Transport Canada,
Defect Investigations and Recalls.
You should also notify Audi Cana­
da .
Canadian customers who wish to report a safety-related defect to
Transport Canada, Defect Investi-
126
gations and Recalls, may either
call Transport Canada toll-free at:
Tel.: 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa re­ gion and from other countries)
TTY for hearing impaired: Tel.:
1-888-67 5-6863
or contact Transport Canada by mail at :
Transport Canada
Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga­
tions Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z 0Al
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
roadsafety/menu.htm

....
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. 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 seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
N child sitting on your lap. er:
~ -Never let more people ride in the vehicle
~ than there are safety belts available. Lil
N v:, ......
Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
, ff. Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only)
to remind you about the importance of buckling­
up .
Fig. 143 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus ­
te r -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
.,, N
"' 0 ..:, ., m
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
~ Protect children w ith a ch ild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition, you wil l hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
127

Safety belts
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 144 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle headi ng fo r a wall
Fig. 145 T he vehicle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight . Engi­
neers call this energy "k inetic 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.
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 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts~
fig. 144, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, unti l something stops them -
here, the wall~
fig. 145.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision . Even
at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
128
(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 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. 146 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio len tly
t hrow n fo rward
Fig. 147 A rear passe nge r not wear ing a sa fety belt will f ly
forward an d str ike the driver
Unbelted occupants a re not able to res ist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel, in­
strument pane l, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way ~
fig. 146. T his impact with the vehi ­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash.
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