belt AUDI S3 SEDAN 2015 User Guide

Ass is t
- The pre sense basic functions may not be
available if there is a malfunction in the ESC
system or the airbag control module.
- Note that with pre sense basic, the reversi·
ble safety belt pretensioner on the front
passenger's side deact ivates when the front
passenger's airbag is deactivated .
Audi pre sense front
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Audi pre sense front or Audi adaptive
cruise control
Pre sense front informs you if the d istance to the
vehicle ahead falls below the safe distance for a n
extended per iod of time.
It c an warn of a possi·
b le co llision and initiate braking maneuvers,
within the limits of the system.
When detected in time, the system can assess
dangerous situations whe re a n object ahead
b rakes s udden ly or if you r own vehicle is traveling
at a high speed and approaching an object t hat is
moving more s lowly . If detection is not possible ,
then pre sense front does not re act .
Warnings
Applies to vehicles: with Audi pre sense front or Audi adaptive
cruise control
F ig . 90 nst rument clus te r: app roac h warn ing
The system recogn izes va rious dangerous situa­
tions:
- Vehicles with adaptive cruise control: the
dis­
tanc e warnin g
occurs if you dr ive too closely to
the object ahead for a long period of time .
If
the object ahead brakes strong ly, you would not
l l Thi s is no t ava ilab le i n so me c oun tries .
104
be able to avoid a collision . The indicator light
• indicates th is.
- T he
approach warn ing occurs when an object
ahead is traveling more slowly or brakes strong·
Ly. When this warning occ urs, it may on ly be
possible to avo id a collision by swerving o r
b raking strongly. The me ssage
Audi pre se nse
• Dis tance
q fig. 90 and a warning tone will
warn you about the danger . For veh icles with
adaptive cru ise control, the. indicator light
also turns on.
If you do no t reac t enough or no t at all to a dan­
gerous situation that was detected by the sys ­
tem, p re sense front provides assistance by ap­
plying the b rakes .
- If a collision is imm inen t, the system will first
provide a n
acu te warning by braking sharp ly .
You will also be made aware of the danger by the inst rument cluste r display
q fig. 90. For
veh icles with adaptive cru ise cont ro l, the . in­
dic ator light a lso tu rns o n.
- If you do not reac t to the acu te warning, pre
sense front ca n brake w ith increasing force
w it hi n the lim its of the system
1> . T his reduces
the vehicle speed in the event o f a collis io n. The
message
Audi pre sense -Input also appears.
- At low driving speeds, pre sense front can begin
complete decelerat ion shortly before a
co llision
l).
- If p re sense front determines that you are not
braki ng strong ly enough when a coll is ion is im·
minent, it can increase the brak ing force .
A WARNING
-
-Pre sense front cannot overcome natura l
phys ica l laws. It is a system designed to as­
sist and it cannot prevent a collision. The
driver m ust always intervene . The d river is
always responsib le for brak ing at the correct
time . Do not let the in crea sed safety provid­
ed tempt you into ta king risks. This could in­
crease your risk of a collision .
- The system can dep loy inco rrec tly d ue to
sys tem-specific l imits.

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re­
corder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa­
tions, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand ­
ing how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle dy­
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
veh icle is designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
acce lerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better understand­
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in­
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e.g .,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re­
corded. However, other part ies, such as law en­
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identify ing data routinely ac­
qui red during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip­
ment is requ ired, and access to the vehicle or the
E DR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu­
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the specia l equipment, can read the in­
formation if they have access to the veh icle or the
EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDRs installed in a vehi­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af-
122
ter an accident or crash event without the own ­
er's consent.
Audi will not access the EDR and/or similar data
o r g ive it to others -
- unless the veh icle owner (or lessee if the veh i­
cle has been leased) ag rees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial
discovery process .
- Audi may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
provide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identifying the spec ific vehi­
cle or information about the identity of its own­
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electronic contro l modules for var ious vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emission
control, airbags, and safety belts.
These electronic control modules record data during normal vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
r epair pu rposes. The recording capabil ity of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is recorded).
Only a small amount of data is actua lly recorded
over a very limited period of time, or stored when
a system fau lt is detected by a contro l modu le.
Some of the data stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, or brak ing, as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash. Stored data can also only be read and
down loaded w ith specia l equipment that is di­
r ect ly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con­
nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea­
tures requires wireless se rv ic es that are pro ­
v id ed by a third party wireless telecommuni­
cations provider. For details regarding how in­
formation obtained through Audi connect is
collected, processed, transmitted, used, and ..,..

Driving safety
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safe ty 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 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 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 .
- Always adjust your speed to the weather
traffic and conditions. Follow the speed lim­
its .
- Always drive in such a way that you can stop
your vehicle safely.
- Always adjust your speed to the general
flow of traffic. Follow the speed limits.
130 ·
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 variety of features available
to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
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 seating positions,
- safety belt pretensioners,
- safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
- safety belt height 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 airbags with ejection mitigation
features,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- adjustable steering column .
- pre sense basic* (preventative passenger pro- tection)
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide 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. ..,.

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.. Make sure that a ll windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside .
.. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
r=> page 59, r=> page 59.
.. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correct ly for your he ight.
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
stra ints according to their he ight .
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rect ly to protect children
r=> page 172, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
r=> page 54, Front
seats .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it proper ly. Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts p roperly
r=> page 140.
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 respons ible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants.
If your ability to
d rive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
eve ryone else on the road
r=> &, . Therefo re:
.. Do not let you rself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEV ER dr ive when your dr iv ing abili ty 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 adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not dr ive
for more than two hours at a stretch .
.,. Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under pres­
su re or when you a re stressed.
Dri vin g s afe ty
A WARNING
-Impaired dr iving safety increases the risk of
serious personal injury and death wheneve r a
vehicle is being used .
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
F ig , 1 13 Correct seating pos it ion
For yo ur own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of a n accident, we recommend
that you adjust the dr iver's seat to the fo llowing
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
r=> &, .
.. Ad just t he angle of the seatbac k so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive .
.. Adjust the steering whee l so that there is a dis ­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering wheel and your breast bone
r=> fig. 113.
If not poss ible, see your authorized Audi deal­
ership about adapt ive eq uipment.
.,. Ad just the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your che st a nd
no t at yo ur face .
.. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with your
elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. For adjustab le 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 adj ust the head restraint so that it .,.
131

Driving safety
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 possible.
.. Fa sten and wear safety belt s correctly
<=> page 143.
.. Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the veh icle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<=> page 55 .
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 dr iver'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 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
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained.
132
- 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.
- 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
<=> page 172 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­ senger seat<=>
page 148.
· 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 adjustab le 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
<=> page 134 . 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
<=> page 143.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c> page 54.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be

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seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal 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 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
<=> page 172. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­
senger seat
r=> page 148.
Driving safety
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 :
.,. 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
<=>page 134 .
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
Qpage 143 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age
Q page 172.
A WARNING
P assengers 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.
133

Driving safety
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to veh icles: w ith a dju stable 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. 114 Head restraint: viewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
"Ad just 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¢
fig. 114 . 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 center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restraint up­
ward at least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
c:;, page 56.
A 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 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
134
-
restraint 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 .
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while 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 restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size¢
page 172.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are 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 seat ing position. A driver
is respons ible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children . Therefore:
" Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
9& .
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

Safety belt s
Safety belts
General notes
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.
&_ 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 correct ly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
L ik e all veh icle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
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
ing position has a safety belt .
&_ 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 ch ildren, into any belt. It is espe­
cially 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.
140
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
~ -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. 116 Safety belt warning light in the instrument cl us­
ter -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fas ten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly .
(0
"'
"' 9
"' .. Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
.. Protect children with a child restraint system
appropriate for the s ize and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
light s up when the ign it ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts . In add ition, you will hear
a warn ing tone for a certain pe riod of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts .
&_ WARNING
-Safety belts are the sin gle most effect ive
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
F or your protection and that of your passen ­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, cou ld lead to personal injury .
-

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Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 117 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a wall
Fig . 118 The vehicle cras hes into th e 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.
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
q fig. 117, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall
qfig. 118 .
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, 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 determ ine 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. 119 A dr iver not wea ring a safety belt is vio lently
thrown forward
Fig. 120 A rear passenger not wearing a sa fety belt w ill fly
fo rward and strike t he drive r
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 v iolently into the steering wheel, in­
strument panel, windshie ld, or whatever else is
in the way
q fig . 119 . This impact with the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just before
the crash. ..,_
141

Safety belts
Never rely on airbags a lone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection . A irbags are not supposed to deploy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in orde r to min imize the risk of seve re in­
jury o r death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once
and that your safety be lts are a lways there to of ­
fer protection in t hose accidents in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed . Unbelted o ccupan ts can also be
thrown ou t of the vehicle where even mo re severe
or fata l injur ies can occur .
It is also important fo r the rea r passenge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbe lted passenge rs
i n t he rear se ats endanger not only themselves
but also the driver and other passengers
~ fig . 120. In a frontal coll ision they wi ll be
thrown forward violent ly, where they can hit and
in ju re 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 . 121 Driver is correct ly restra ined i n a sudden b rak ing
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
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 ro lled movement that can cause seri ­
ous injur ies. In add it ion, safety belts reduce the
danger of being throw n ou t of the vehicle.
142
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features eng i­
neered into today's veh icles. By "absorbing" the
ki net ic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety be lts make the forces on the body more
"tole rable" and less li kely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based o n a frontal
collision, safety be lts can also substantially re ­
duce the r isk o f injury in other kinds o f crashes.
So, whether you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to
t he cor ne r store, always bu ckle up and ma ke sure
o thers do, too. Ac ciden t sta tis tics show that ve hi­
cle occupants properly wearing sa fe ty belts have
a lowe r risk of be ing injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Pro perly using
safety belts a lso greatly increases the ab ility of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
li sion. For this reason, wear ing a safety be lt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with a irbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are act ivated only in some
fron tal coll is io ns . The front airbags are not act i­
vated in a ll frontal col lisions, in s ide and rear co l­
li sio ns, in ro ll overs o r in cases whe re the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation th rough impac t to the front
of the vehicle . T he same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
proper ly restrained!
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 s ure that your safety belts are always
ready fo r use and are not damaged .