2004 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR seats

95
SAFETY

Adjust the backrest so that you are able
to reach the highest point of the steering
wheel with your arms at a slight angle.

Adjust the head restraint so that the top
edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head - see
illustration.

Fasten the seat belt correctly - see page
100.
Driver seat adjustment - see page 19. Warning


The front seats and the head re-
straints must always be adjusted to
match the body size of the seat oc-
cupant. The seat belts must always
be correctly fastened in order to pro-
vide an optimal protection for you
and your occupants.


The driver must maintain a distance
of at least 25 cm to the steering wheel -
see illustration on page 94.
If you do not maintain this minimum
distance, the airbag system will not
be able to protect you - hazard!

When driving, hold the steering
wheel with both hands firmly on the
outer edge in the 9 o’clock and 3
o’clock position.
Never hold the steering wheel firmly
in the 12 o’clock position or in an-
other way (e.g. in the middle of the
steering wheel or at the inner steer-
ing wheel edge).

When driving, the backrests must
not be angled too far back, otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the
seat belts and of the airbag system -
risk of injury!
Correct seated position for the
front passengerThe front passenger must maintain a
distance of at least 25 cm from the dash
panel so that the airbag offers the great-
est possible safety when an airbag is
deployed.
For the safety of the front passenger and
to reduce the risk of injury in the event of
an accident, we recommend the following
setting:

Adjust the front passenger seat as far
as possible to the rear.

Adjust the head restraint so that the top
edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head - see
illustration on page 95.

Fasten the seat belt correctly - see page
100.
In exceptional cases the front passenger
airbag can be deactivated - see page 107.
Front passenger seat adjustment - see
page 19.

96SAFETYWarning

The front seats and the head re-
straints must always be adjusted to
match the body size of the seat oc-
cupant. The seat belts must always
be correctly fastened in order to pro-
vide an optimal protection for you
and your occupants.

The front passenger must main-
tain a distance of at least 25 cm from
the dash panel so that the airbag of-
fers the greatest possible safety
when an airbag is deployed.

Always keep your feet in the foot-
well when the car is being driven -
never put your feet on the instrument
panel, out of the window or on the
surfaces of the seats! If it is neces-
sary to apply the brake, or in the
event of an accident, you will be ex-
posed to an increased risk of injury!

When driving, the backrests must
not be angled too far back, otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the
seat belts and of the airbag system -
risk of injury!
Correct seated position for the oc-
cupants on the rear seatsOccupants on the rear seats must sit up-
right, keep the feet in the footwell and
must have their seat belts correctly fas-
tened.
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a
sudden braking manoeuvre or an accident,
the occupants on the rear seats must ob-
serve the following.

Adjust the head restraint so that the top
edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head - see
illustration on page 95.

Fasten the seat belt correctly - see page
100.

If you are transporting children in the ve-
hicle, please use a suitable child restraint
system - see pages 111 - 116. Warning


The head restraints must always
be adjusted to match the body size,
in order to offer an optimal protec-
tion for you and your occupants.

Always keep your feet in the foot-
well when the car is being driven -
never put your feet out of the window
or on the surfaces of the seats. If it
is necessary to apply the brake, or in
the event of an accident, you will be
exposed to an increased risk of in-
jury. If an airbag is deployed, you may
suffer fatal injuries when adopting an
incorrect seated position!

If the occupants on the rear seats
are not sitting upright, the risk of in-
jury is increased due to incorrect
routing of the seat belt.

97
SAFETY
Examples of an incorrect seated
positionAn incorrect seated position can lead to
severe injuries or death for the occu-
pants.
Seat belts offer their optimum protection
only if the seat belts are properly routed
Incorrect seated positions considerably
reduce the protective functions of the seat
belts and therefore increase the risk of in-
jury due to an incorrect routing of the seat
belt.
The driver is fully responsible for himself
and his occupants, in particular for the chil-
dren. Do not permit an occupant to adopt
an incorrect seated position when the car
is moving.
The following list contains the examples of
seated positions, which are dangerous for
the occupants.
This list is not complete, however we would
like you to get interested in this subject.While the car is moving never:


stand up in the car,

stand up on the seats,

kneel onto the seats,

tilt the backrest fully to the back,

lean against the dash panel,

lie on the rear seats,

sit to the side,

lean out of the window,

put the feet out of the window,

put the feet on the dash panel,

put the feet on the seat upholstery,

occupy the footwell,

have the seat belt not fastened,

occupy the luggage compartment. Warning


If the occupant adopts an incor-
rect seated position, he is exposed
to life-threatening injuries, in case he
is hit by a deployed airbag.

Before setting off, please adopt
the correct seated position and do
not change this seated position while
the car is moving.
Before setting off, please adopt the
correct seated position and do not
change this seated position while the
car is moving.

99
SAFETY
General notes
The webbing of the seat belt must not
be jammed or twisted and must not
chafe against sharp edges.

On no account should two persons ( also
not children ) use the same seat belt.

The maximum protection offered by the
seat belts is only achieved if you are cor-
rectly seated - see page 19.

The webbing of the seat belt must not
run across fixed or fragile objects (specta-
cles, fountain-pens etc.) because this could
cause physical injuries.

Bulky, loose-fitting clothing (e.g. a win-
ter coat worn over a jacket) adversely af-
fects the correct seated position and proper
operation of the belts.

It is prohibited to use clamps or similar
objects to fix or set the position of a seat
belt to match the body’s proportions.

The lock tongue must only be inserted
into the seat belt buckle of the appropriate
seat - otherwise the seat belt cannot pro-
vide the necessary protection and the risk
of injury increases.

The webbing of the seat belt should be
kept clean. Proper operation of the inertia
reel can be affected by dirt (see also the
section headed „Care of car“).

The slot for inserting the lock tongue
must not be blocked by paper or such like
otherwise the lock tongue may not properly
lock in place.

Seat belts which have suffered damage
or have been subjected to excessive stress
during an accident and have therefore stre-
tched, have to be replaced - this is best do-
ne by a Škoda Dealer. In addition, the an-
chorage points of the seat belts should be
inspected.

The operation of seat belts fitted to cars
in certain export countries may differ from
the inertia-reel and lap belts described on
the pages which follow.
Three-point inertia-reel seat beltsInertia-reel seat belts provide full freedom
of movement for the occupants if they are
unreeled slowly.
The belts block, however, during a sudden
brake application.
The inertia reel also blocks the seat belts
when the car is accelerated, when driving
downhill and when cornering.
The backrests of the front seats must
not be tilted too far back otherwise the
seat belts may not provide maximum
protection.

105
SAFETY
Warning


It is therefore important to maintain
a distance from the steering wheel or
from the instrument panel (min. 15 cm)
to enable the occupants to be pro-
tected to the maximum possible extent
if the system is activated. In addition,
the front seats should always be cor-
rectly adjusted to the body size of the
occupant - see page 19.
Warning


The padded panel of the steering
wheel and the front passenger area of
the instrument panel between the mid-
dle and the right-hand vent (surface
with inscription „Airbag“) must not
have stickers attached, nor should
they be covered or modified in any
way. These parts should only be clea-
ned with a dry cloth or a cloth mois-
tened with water.

No modifications of any kind may
be undertaken on the parts of the
airbag system. All work on the airbag
system, including removing and in-
stalling system components during
other repair work (e.g. removing
steering wheel) should only be car-
ried out by Škoda Dealers.

It is not permitted to carry out any
modifications to any airbag compo-
nents as this could result in the
airbag being activated.

The operational life of the front
airbag modules is 15 years from the
date of manufacture of the car. After
this period, it is necessary to have
the modules renewed in a Škoda
Dealership.
Note
If the car or individual components of the
airbag system are scrapped, it is essential
to comply with the relevant safety regula-
tions. Škoda Dealers are acquainted with
these regulations.
If you do not make use of the seat belts
when driving, or if lean forward or adopt an
incorrect seated position, you are expos-
ing yourself to an increased risk of injury in
the event of an accident.

106SAFETY
Never carry out changes on the
front bumper or on the body.

The protective function of the
airbag system only lasts for a single
accident. If the airbag has been de-
ployed, the system should be re-
placed.

No persons, animals or objects
should be located between the front
seat occupants and the effective ran-
ge of the airbags.

If the vehicle is sold, the complete
vehicle wallet should also be passed
onto the new owner.
Special features if front passenger
airbag is deactivatedAs soon as possible activate the airbags,
so that the safety of the vehicle is increa-
sed.
Your car offers you the technical facility of
deactivating the front passenger airbag and
also the side airbag.
Deactivating the front airbag and also the
side airbag can be carried out by your
Škoda Dealer.
On vehicles with the switch, the front pas-
senger airbag and also the front passen-
ger side airbag can be deactivated with this
switch in the glove box - see page 107. Warning
A child seat in which the child faces
with its back in the direction of travel,
may only be used in the front passen-
ger seat if the front passenger airbag
(in certain countries also on child
seats in which the child faces the di-
rection of travel) has been deacti-
vated - refer to page 107. Otherwise,
there is a risk of the child suffering
severe or even fatal injuries if the
airbag is deployed. In certain coun-
tries, legal requirements necessitate
deactivating the side airbag. If a child
is nevertheless seated on the front
passenger seat, observe the legal
requirements for the use of child
seats.

109
SAFETY
Side airbag*The side airbags are installed in the sides
of the backrest upholstery of the driver and
front passenger seats. They are identified
by the inscriptions „AIRBAG“ in the top half
of the backrests - see illustration.The side airbag system in combination
with the three-point seat belts offers ad-
ditional protection for the upper body of the
driver and front passenger in the event of
a side collision of considerable severity.In the event of a side collision, the side
airbags reduce the risk of injury to the part
of the body of the front occupants facing
toward the point of impact. In addition to the normal protection which
they offer,
the seat belts are also designed
to hold the driver and front passenger in
position in the event of a side impact so that
the side airbag is able to offer maximum
protection.
Warning
The maximum protection offered by
the seat belts and the airbag system
is only achieved if the occupants are
correctly seated - see page 94.
The system consists essentially of

the electronic control and monitoring unit,

the side airbags installed in the sides of
the backrests of the front seats,

a warning lamp in the instrument panel -
see page 56.
Please refer to page 56 for information
on the operational readiness and possi-
ble faults in the system. The side airbag system is not activated
in the event of:


frontal collision

minor side collision

rear collision

rollover.
The airbag system is not a substitute for
the seat belt but is part of the entire pas-
sive vehicle safety concept. Please note
that the airbag system is only able to offer
optimal protection in combination with fas-
tened seat belts.
That is why, you should always use the
seat belts not only because this is a le-
gal requirement, but also for safety rea-
sons!
Please refer to the information on pages
98 to 103 in this connection.
Note
The airbag system is maintenance-free
throughout its entire operating life.

111
SAFETY

Only light items of clothing should
be hung up on the clothes hooks in
the car. No heavy or sharp-edged
objects should be stowed in the
pockets of the items of clothing.

Avoid any excessive force acting
on the side panels of the seats, such
as a sudden knock, or pressing with
your foot etc., otherwise the system
may be damaged. In this case, the
side airbags would not deploy!

On no account may seat or protec-
tive covers be fitted over the driver
or front passenger seats fitted with
side airbags. As the airbag inflates
out of the backrest of the seat, the
protective function offered by the
side airbags would be restricted if
seat protective covers were used.

If the original seat cover or the stit-
ching in the module area of the side
airbag is damaged, the seat cover in
question should be replaced imme-
diately by a Škoda Dealer.

The protection offered by the air-
bag system is sufficient only for one
accident. If the airbag has been de-
ployed, the system should be rene-
wed.

If the occupants lean forward or
adopt an incorrect seated position
when driving, they are exposing
themselves to an increased risk of an
injury in the event of an accident.

A child seat in which the child
faces with its back in the direction of
travel, may only be used in the front
passenger seat if the front passen-
ger airbag (in certain countries also
on child seats in which the child
faces the direction of travel) has
been deactivated - refer to page 107.
Otherwise, there is a risk of the child
suffering severe or even fatal injuries
if the airbag is deployed. In certain
countries, legal requirements neces-
sitate deactivating the side airbag. If
a child is nevertheless seated on the
front passenger seat, observe the le-
gal requirements for the use of child
seats.

The operating life of the airbag mod-
ule is 15 years from the date of manu-
facture of the vehicle. After this time,
it is necessary to have the modules re-
newed in a Škoda Dealership.
Safety of childrenAccident statistics reveal that children
who sit at the rear are generally better
protected than when seated on the front
passenger seat. Children younger than
12 years should normally travel on the
rear seat of the car
1). They should be
protected by a child restraint system or
by the standard car seat belts, depend-
ing on age, body size and weight. For
safety reasons, the child restraint sys-
tem should be installed behind the front
passenger seat.
Warning

All vehicle occupants, in particu-
lar children, must fasten their seat
belt when the car is moving.


Never allow your child to stand in
the car or to kneel on the seats when
the car is moving. If an accident oc-
curs, your child will be thrown through
the car and may suffer fatal injuries.
1)Pay attention to any varying legal requirements.