belt AUDI S3 2015 User Guide

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position longer than approximately 2 seconds
when the brake pedal is not pressed.
Interlock button
The interlock button in the selector lever han­
dle prevents you from moving the selector
l eve r inadvertently while in some selecto r lev­
er positions. The positions that require the in­
terlock button to be pressed are marked in
color in the illustration
c::;, fig. 97.
Ignition key safety interlock*
You can only remove the key from the ignition
after switching the ignition off if the se lector
lever is in the P position. The selector lever
will be locked in the P position as long as the
key is not in the ignition .
A WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::;, &. in
Selector lever positions on page 109.
{D) Tips
- If the selector lever does not engage,
there is a malfunction. The engine is dis­
abled to prevent the vehicle from driving
off unintentionally . Press the brake pedal
briefly to allow the selector lever lock to
engage again.
- If the vehicle does not move forward or
i n reverse even though a drive position is
se lected, proceed as follows:
- > If the veh icle does not move in the de­
sired direction, the system may not have
engaged the dr ive position correctly.
Press the brake pedal and select the
drive position again.
- >If the vehicle still does not move in the
desired direction, there is a system mal­
function. See an authorized Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance to have the system checked.
Autom atic transm ission 111
Driving tips
Applies to veh icles: w it h S tronic transm iss ion
T he transmission shifts up and down auto­
matically when in the driving gears.
Fig. 98 Section of the center co nsole: Selector lever
w ith interlock b utto n
The engine will only be able start when these­
lector lever is in the P or N positions. At low
temperatures (below 14 °F (-10 °C)), the en ­
gine can only be started when the selector
lever is in the P position.
Starting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and hold the interlock button in the
selector lever handle, select the desired se ­
lector lever position such as D
c::;, page 109
and re lease the lock button.
.,. Wait a moment until the transmission
shifts . Yo u will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages.
... Release the brake peda l and press the accel ­
erator pedal
c::;, .&_ .
Stopping temporarily
.,. Keep the vehicle stationary using the brak­
ing pedal, for example at traffic lights.
.,. Do not press the accelerator peda l when do­
ing this.
.,. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c::;, .&_ .
.,. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start moving once you
press the acce lerator pedal. Requ irement:
The driver's safety belt must fastened and
the driver's door must be closed.
IJll,,

112 Automatic tran smi ssio n
Stopp ing /p ark ing
If the selector lever is not in the P position
when you open the driver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. In vehicles with a convenience key*,
the following message appears:
Sh ift to P,
othe rwise veh icle c an roll a way. Door s do not
lock if le ver is not in P.
You will also hear a
warn ing tone.
"' Press and ho ld the brake pedal¢.&_ .
"' Set the parking brake.
"'Se lect the P selector lever pos ition.
St opp ing on an incline
• Always press the brake pedal to hold the ve ­
hicle in p lace and prevent it from "rolling
back"
¢ .&_ . Do n ot try to prevent the vehi­
cle from "roll ing back" when a gear is en­
gaged by increasing the eng ine speed
¢ (D.
Starting on an inclin e in vehicl es w it h out
Hill Hold *
"'Set the parking brake.
"' With the driving gear selected, press the ac­
celerator pedal carefully . The parking brake
will release automat ically if your safety belt
is fastened.
St arting on an incline i n vehicle s with Hill
Hold*
"' With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the ac­ cele rato r pedal ¢
page 82, Hill hold.
Under certain circumstances, (such as driving
in the mountains or towing a tra iler), it may
be usefu l to sw itch temporarily to the manual
shift p rogram in order to adjust the gears to
the dr iving condit ions by hand
¢ page 114.
When parking on a level surface, simply place
the selector lever in the P pos ition. On in­
clines , activate the parking bra ke first and
then move the selector lever to the P pos it ion
¢ page 80 . This prevents the locking mecha­
nism from being loaded too heavi ly and will
make it easier to move the selector lever out
of the P position.
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even when the en­
g ine is switched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead
to serious injuries .
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
set the parking brake and move these­
lector lever to the P position .
- Power is still transferred to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "c reeping", you
must keep you r foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector lever is in the D, Sor R position or "tip­
tronic" mode is selected . -
-Do not inadvertently press the accelera­
tor peda l when the vehicle is stationary.
Otherwise the vehicle wi ll start to move
immediate ly, even if the parking brake is
set. Th is could result in a crash.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level positions while dr iv ing. It could cause a
crash .
- Before driving down a steep slope, re­
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
downhill . Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking pe rformance, increases
b rak ing distan ce or causes complete fa il­
ure of the brake system.
- I f you must stop on an in cl ine, always
hold the vehicle i n place with the foot
brake or park ing brake to p revent it from
rolling back .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto ­
matica lly when it becomes too hot from

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the overload. The ml indicator light
turns on and a message appears
Q page 115 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
-If the engine must run while you are
working in the eng ine compartment with
the hood open, make sure a gear is not engaged . T he selecto r leve r must be
firmly in the P pos ition and locked in
pla ce and t he pa rking brake must be set
Qpage217. Otherwise, the veh icle
cou ld beg in moving when the eng ine
speed is high, even with the parking
brake set.
W Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to ho ld the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l w hile a dr iving gear
i s selected. This can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat and can dam­
age it. Set the parking b rake or press the
brake pedal to p revent the veh icle from
ro lling .
- Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
i n the N position will damage the auto­
matic transmission beca use it is not lu­
b ricated unde r tho se c ircumstances.
- The t ransm ission can overheat and be
damaged under certa in d riving and traf­
fi c condition s suc h as frequent s tarts ,
creeping for a long time , or s top-and-go
traff ic. W hen the
ml or . indicator
light turns on, stop the vehicle at the
next oppo rtunity and let the t ransmis ­
s ion coo l
Qpage 115.
-Allow ing the ve hicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped w ill damage the S tron ic
transmission because it is not lubricated
Q page 282 , Emergency towing with
commercial tow truck .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake re­
leases automatically only when the driver's
door is closed and dr iver 's safety belt is
fastened.
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 113
Hill descent control
App lies to vehicles : wi th 5 tronic tra nsmi ssio n
Hill descent control assists the driver when
driving down hills .
Hill descent control is activated when these­
l ector lever is in the D or S position and you
press the brake peda l. The transmission auto ­
matically selects a gear that is suitable for the
i ncl ine. Hill descent cont ro l t ries to ma inta in
t h e speed ac hieved a t the t ime of b raking,
within physic al and tec hnical lim it a tions. If
may sti ll be ne cessa ry to adju st the speed
with t he b rakes . Because hi ll descent control
cannot sh ift down farthe r than 3rd gear, it
may be necessary to sh ift into t iptronic mode
in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st
o r 2nd gear in tiptro nic mode to use the en­
gine's brak ing force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the hi ll
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise contro l system*
Q page 83, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set .
A WARNING
-
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a co nsta nt speed unde r all
conditions . A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes .
•

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Driving safety
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, airbags, ch ild restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is fo r us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this sect ion - for yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section app lies to all
model ve rsions of your vehicle . Some of the
feat ures described 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 dea ler.
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 interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it eas ily if you have
questions.
- Always adjust your speed to the weather
traffic and conditions. Follow the speed
limits.
- Always drive in such a way that you can
stop your vehicle safely .
- Always adjust your speed to the general
flow of traffic. Fo llow the speed limits.
Dri ving sa fe ty 12 5
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance . Advances in
techno logy have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
acc ident. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in yo ur Audi :
- sophisticated safety be lts fo r driver and all
passenger seating posit ions,
- safety belt pretens ioners,
- safety belt force lim iters for 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 and outer rear seats *,
- side curtain ai rbags with ejec tion mitiga tion
features,
- specia l LATCH an chorages for child re-
straints,
- head restra ints for each seating posit ion,
- adjustab le steer ing column.
- pre sense basic* (preventat ive passenger
protect ion)
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accide nts .
T hese features cannot work as a system if
they a re not always correctly adjusted and co r­
rect ly used .
Safety is ev erybody' s respon sibil it y !
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,
b efor e driv ing alw ay s: ...
•
•
•

126 Driving safety
• Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
• Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
• Make sure that a ll windows are clean and af ­
ford good visibility to the o utside.
• Secure all luggage and other items ca refully
c:::> page 64, c:::>page 62 .
• Make sure that noth ing can i nterfere with
t h e pedals.
• Adjust front seat, head rest rain t and mirro rs
correct ly for your he ight .
• Instr uct passenge rs to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
• Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect chi ldren
c:> page 170 ,
Child Safe ty .
• Sit properly i n your seat and make sure that
you r passenge rs do the same
c:::> page 57,
Front seats .
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly.
Also ins truc t your passengers to faste n their
sa fety belts proper ly
c:> pag e 13 5.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving i s direc tly rela ted 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 ib le for the safety of the
ve hicl e and a ll of its occupants . If you r ability
to drive is impaired , safety r is k s for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
c:> &_ .
Therefore:
• Do not let you rself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws , rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS ad just your speed to road, t raff ic
and weathe r condit ions .
• Take frequent breaks on long t rips. Do not
dr ive for mo re th an two hours a t a str etc h .
• Do N OT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
-Impaired driving safety increases the r isk
of ser ious perso nal inju ry and death when ­
ever a vehicle is bei ng use d.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig . 11 4 Correct seat ing pos it io n
For you r own safety and to reduce t he risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
me nd that you adjust t he d river's seat to the
f o llow ing pos ition:
.,. Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly p ush the pedals all the way to the floo r
while keep ing you r knee(s) slightly bent
c:>& ,
.,. Adj ust t he an gle of the seatba ck so th at it is
in an uprigh t position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adj ust the steering whee l so that t here is a
distance of at least 10 inches
(25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast bone
c:::> fig. 114 . If not possible, see your a u­
thor ized Audi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment .
.. Ad just t he steering whee l so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag c over poi nts at your
ches t and not a t your f ace.
• Grasp the top o f the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
• For ad justab le head restra ints : Adjust the
head restra int so the uppe r edge is as even
as poss ible with the top of your head. If that..,_

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is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible. Move the head restraint so that
it is as close to the back of the head as pos­
sible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
Q page 138.
.. 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
Q page 58.
.&, 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.
-
Driving safety 127
-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
Q page 170 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat ¢
page 144.
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
pass enger 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.
.. Fo r adjustable 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
¢ page 129. 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 corr ectly
¢ page 138.
•
•
•

128 Driving safety
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 5 7.
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 170. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat
c> page 144.
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 reduce 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 adjustable 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
¢ page 129.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢page 138.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age¢
page 170.
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!

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-For adjustable head restraints : always
adjust the head restra int properly so that
it can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re­
st raint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in acciden t situations.
Fig. 115 Hea d restr aint: vie wed fro m the fron t
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to ach ieve the best protection .
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as poss ible w ith the top of your
head .
If that is not possib le, try to adjust
the head restra int so that it is as close to
this position as possible
r:!.>fig . 115. Move
the head restraint so that it is as close to the
back of the head as possible.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear cent er
seat ing position, slide the center head re­
stra int upward at least to the next notch .
Adj usting head restraints¢
page 59.
_& WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Dr iving without head restra ints or
w ith head restra ints that are not proper ly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
tal neck injury dramat ically . To help reduce
the risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted .
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
Dri ving sa fety 129
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly ad justs their 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, t ry to ad just the head restraint so
that it is as close to this pos it ion as pos­
sible. Move t he head rest raint so that i t
is as close to the back of the head as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head res traint
while driving . If you have driven off and
m ust adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint .
- Ch ildren must a lways be properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their age and size¢
page 170.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupan t restraint syst em can only re ­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body . Improper sea ting positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in ­
crease the r isk of injury and death by mov ing
the safety be lt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating posi tions a lso increase the
risk of serio us inju ry and de ath when an a ir­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position . A driver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu ­
pants and espec ially for children. Therefore :
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
r:!.> _&. .
The following bulle tins list o nly some samp le
pos itions that will increase the risk of serio us
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make yo u more aware of seating po-
sitions that are dangerous. ..,.

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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
T his chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, 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
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving .
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
impaired 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 five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
Safety belts 13 5
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod ­
els only) to remind you abou t the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig. 117 Safety bel t warn ing light in the instr ume nt
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly.
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument clus­
ter lights up when the ignition is on as a re­
minder to fasten the safety belts . In addition,
you will hear a warning tone for a certain peri­
od 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 single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving. •
•
•

136 Safet y belt s
-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.
F ig. 11 8 Unbelted occ upants in a ve hicle h eading for a
wall
Fig. 1 19 Th e vehicle c rash es into t he 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
e rgy ."
T he higher the speed of the vehicle and the
g reater the vehicle's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant 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 veh icle are not
using safety belts
c::;, fig. 118, they w ill keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the c rash, unt il something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 119 .
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 (2,000 lbs , or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are even
highe r.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli­
s io n they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was t ravell ing just before
the crash . Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens i n all kinds of acc idents 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!
F ig . 120 A d river not wea ring a safety b elt is viol en tly
thrown fo rwa rd
F ig . 12 1 A rear passe nge r no t wea ring a safety be lt
w ill fl y forward a nd strike the dr iver
Un belted oc cupants a re not able to resist the
t remendous forces o f impac t by ho lding tight
o r bracing themse lves. Withou t the benefit of
safety restraint systems , the unrestrained
ll-