2008 SKODA ROOMSTER child seat

Passive Safety120
Correct seated position for the front passenger
The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from
the dash panel so that the airbag offers the greatest 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 ⇒page 119, fig. 117.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 124, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass enger airbag can be deactivated ⇒page 135, “Deactivating an airbag”.
Adjusting the passenger seat ⇒page 54, “Adjusting the front seats”.
WARNING
•The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.
•The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the dash panel. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven - never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces of the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fata l injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise this will affect proper operation of th e seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!
Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats
Occupants on the rear seats must si t upright, keep the feet in the
footwell and must have their seat belts correctly fastened.
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a sudden braking manoeuvre or an acci- dent, the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following.
•Adjust the head restraints so that the to p edge of the head restraints are at the same level as the upper part of your head ⇒page 119, fig. 117.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 124, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
•If you are transporting ⇒page 137, “Transporting children safely” children in the vehicle, please use a suitable child restraint system.
WARNING
•The head restraints must always be adjusted to match the body size, in order to offer an optimal protection for you and your occupants.
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven - never put your feet out of the window or on the surfaces of the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If th e head airbag* is deployed and when adopting an incorrect seated position, you are exposing yourself to an increased risk of injury and in the event of an accident you may suffer fatal injuries!
•If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is increased due to incorrec t routing of the seat belt.
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!
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Passive Safety121
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Examples of an incorrect seated position
An incorrect seated position can lead to severe injuries or death for
the occupants.
Seat belts offer their optimum protection only if the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Incorrect seated positi ons considerably reduce the protective functions of the seat belts and therefore increase the risk of injury due to an incor-rect routing of the seat belt. The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occu- pants, in particular for the children. Do not permit an occupant to adopt an incor- rect 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 comple te, however we would like you to get inter- ested in this subject.
Therefore, while the car is moving never:
•stand up in the vehicle,
•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,
•only sit on the front area of the seat,
•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 incorrect 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. Also advise your occu- pants to adopt the correct seated position and not to change this seated position while the car is moving.
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Seat belts122
Seat belts
Why seat belts?
It is a proven fact that seat belts offer good protection in accidents ⇒fig. 118. Thus wearing a seat belt is a legal requirement in most countries.
Seat belts which have been correctly fastened and adjusted hold the occupants of the car in the correc t seated position ⇒fig. 118. The belts reduce the kinetic energy (energy of motion) to a considerable extent. They also prevent uncontrolled move- ments which, in turn, may well result in severe injuries.
The occupants of a vehicle who have fastened and correctly adjusted their seat belt, profit to a major extent from the fact that the kinetic energy is optimally absorbed by the belts. The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other passive safety measures, such as the airbag system, also contribute to reducing the kinetic energy. The energy produced is thus absorbed and there is less risk of injury.
Accident statistics prove that seat belts which are fastened and properly adjusted reduce the risk of an injury and enhance the chance of survival in a major accident ⇒ page 123.
It is important that you pay attention to safety measures, particularly when trans- porting children in the vehicle ⇒page 137, “Transporting children safely”.
WARNING
•Fasten your seat belt each time before setting off, also when driving in town! This also applies to the people seated at the rear - risk of injury!
•Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child ⇒page 124, “Fastening three-point seat belts”.
•It is important for the belt webbing to be properly routed if the seat belts are to offer the maximum protection. You can see a description of how safety belts should be fitted pr operly on the next pages.
Note
Please comply with any differing legal requirements when using the seat belts.
Fig. 118 Driver wearing seat belt
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Seat belts124
•No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat belt together.
•The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if you are correctly seated ⇒page 119, “Correct seated position”.
•The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. spec- tacles, ball-point pens, keys etc.) as this may be a cause of injuries.
•Bulky, loose clothing (e.g. a winter coat over a jacket) does not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the seat belts.
•It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e.g. for shortening the belts for smaller persons).
•The lock tongue should only be insert ed into the lock which is the correct one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to protect and the risk of injury increases.
•The backrests must not be tilted too far to the rear otherwise the seat- belts can lose their effectiveness.
•The belt webbing must always be ke pt clean. Soiled belt webbing may impair proper operation of the inertia reel ⇒page 169, “Seat belts”.
•The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or similar objects otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place properly.
•Inspect the seat belts regu larly to ensure they are in good condition. If you find seat belts which have damage to the seat belt webbing, seat belt connections, to the inertia reels or to the lock, the relevant safety belt must be replaced by a specialist garage.
•The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not make an attempt to repair the seat belts yourself.
•Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident and were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is best done by a specialist garage. The anchorage points of the belts must also be inspected. The anchorage points for the be lts should also be checked.
•In certain countries it is possible to use seat belts which differ in terms of their operation from the seat belts wh ich are described on the pages which follow.
How are seat belts correctly fastened?
Fastening three-point seat belts
Fasten your seat belt before starting!
– Correctly adjust the seat and the head restraint before fastening your
seat belt ⇒page 119, “Correct seated position”.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 121 Routing of webbing over the shoul-ders and the lap belt
Fig. 122 Routing of belt webbing for an expectant mother
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Airbag system131
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In certain accident situations both the front airbags as well as the head and side airbags may be deployed together.
If the airbags are deployed, the airbags are filled with a propellant gas and inflated in front of the driver and front passenger ⇒page 130, fig. 127. The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that addi- tional protection in the event of an acci dent. The forward movement of the driver and of the front passenger is cushioned when they make contact with the fully inflated airbag and the risk of injury to head and chest is thus reduced.
The specially developed airbag allows the gas to flow out of the inflated airbag in a controlled manner (depending on the load of the particular car occupant) in order to cushion head and chest areas. The airbag then deflates subsequently to such an extent, after an accident, to again provide a clear view forward.
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
The airbag develops enormous forces when triggered, which can lead to injuries if the sitting position or seated position is not correct ⇒ in “Important safety information regarding the front airbag system” on page 131.
Important safety information regarding the front airbag system
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•Never transport children on the front seat of a vehicle without using a proper restraint system. If airbags are deployed in the event of an accident, the child might suffer severe or even fatal injuries!
•For the driver and front passenger it is important to maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel ⇒fig. 128. Not main- taining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints must always also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occu- pant.
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 135, “Deactivating an airbag” the front passenger airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries al so when the child is facing the direction of travel). If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag is deployed. In certain countries national legal provisions also requir e that the side or head passenger airbags be deactivated. When transpor ting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•There must not by any further persons, animals or objects positioned between the front seated occupants and the deployment area of the airbag.
•The steering wheel and the surface of the airbag module in the dash panel on the passenger side must not be stuck onto, covered or modified in any other way. These parts should only be cleaned with a dry cloth or a cloth moistened with water. No objects such as cup holders, mobile phone mounts, etc. may be attached to the covers of the airbag modules or be located within the immediate area.
•No modifications of any kind may be made to parts of the airbag system. Any work on the airbag system includ ing installing and removing system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing the steering wheel) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
•Never carry out changes on the front bumper or on the body.
•Never place any objects on the dash panel on the front passenger side.
Fig. 128 Safe distance to steering wheel
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Important safety information on the side airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 135, “Deactivating an airbag” the front passenger airbag when attach ing a child safety seat on the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also when the ch ild is facing the direction of travel). If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag is deployed. In certain countries national legal provisions also requir e that the side passenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•Your head should never be positioned in the deployment area of the side airbag. You might suffer severe injuries in the event of an accident. This applies in particular to children who are transported without using a suit-able child safety seat ⇒page 139, “Child safety and side airbag*”.
•If children adopt an incorrect seated position when travelling, they may be exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an accident. This can result in serious injuries ⇒page 137, “What you should know about trans- porting children!”.
•There must not be any further persons, animals as well as objects posi- tioned between the occupants and the de ployment area of the airbag. There must also be no accessories such as cup holders, attached to the doors to enable the side airbags to activate properly.
•Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of clothing.
•Ensure that there are no excessive fo rces, such as violent knocks, kicks etc., impact on the backrests of the seats otherwise the system may be damaged. The side airbags would not be deployed in such a case!
•Any seat or protective covers which you fit to the driver or front passenger seats must only be of the type expressly authorized by Škoda Auto. In view of the fact that the airbag inflates out of the backrest of the seat, use of non-approved seat or protective covers would considerably impair the protective function of the side airbag.
•Any damage to the original seat covers in the area of the side airbag module must be repaired without delay by your specialist garage.
•The airbag modules in the front se ats must not display any damage, cracks or deep scratches. It is not permissible to use force in order to open the modules.
•Any work on the side airbag system including removing and installing system components because of other repa ir work (e.g. removing seats) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Head airbags*
Description of the head airbags
The head airbag together with the side airbag offers enhanced occu-
pant protection in the ev ent of a side collision.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 131 Installation position of the head airbags
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Airbag system134
The head airbags are positioned above the doors on both sides in the interior of the car ⇒fig. 131. The installation positions of the head airbags are each marked with the “AIRBAG” logo.
The head airbag together with the three-point seat belts and the side airbags, offers additional protection for the head and neck area of the occupants in the event of a side collision of major severity ⇒ in “Important safety information on the head airbag” on page 134.
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts is to also hold the driver and the occupants in a correct seated position in the event of a side collision so as to enable the head airbags to offer the maximum protection.
You should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection ⇒page 122.
Together with other elements (such as cros s bars in the seats, stable vehicle struc- ture) the head airbags are the conseque nt further development of occupant protection in the case of side collisions.
Function of the head airbags
The risk of injury to the head and neck area is reduced in the event of
a side collision by fully inflated head airbags.
In the case of a side collision the head airbag is deployed together with the rele- vant side airbag on the side of th e car on which the accident occurs ⇒fig. 132.
If the head airbag is deployed, the airbag is filled with propellant gas and covers the entire area of the side window including the door pillars ⇒fig. 132.
The protection offered by the head airbags is thus available simultaneously both to the front occupants of the car seated on th e side on which the accident occurs, as well as to the rear occupants. Any impact of the head against par ts of the interior or objects outside of the car, is cushioned by the inflated head airbag. The reduction in any impact to the head and the result ant minimizing of any movements of the head additionally reduce the risk of injuries to the neck area. In certain accident situations both the front airbags as well as the side and head airbags may be deployed together.
The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that additional protection in the event of an accident. A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is infl ated. This is perfectly normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety information on the head airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 135 the front passenger airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also when the child is facing the direction of travel). If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag is deployed. In certai n countries national legal provisions also require that the side or head pa ssenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations rega rding the use of child safety seats.
•There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head airbags which might prevent the airbags from inflating properly.
•Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never leave any heavy or sh arp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of
Fig. 132 Inflated head airbag
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Airbag system135
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clothing. In addition, it is not permitted to use clothes hangers for hanging up items of clothing.
•There must not be any other persons (e.g. children) or animals between the car occupant and the deployment ar ea of the head airbag. In addition, none of the occupants should lean their head out of the window when driving, or extend their arms and hands out of the window.
•The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deployment area of the head airbags if any objects, such as ball-point pens etc. are attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head airbag is deployed.
•Installing impermissible accessories in the area of the head airbags may considerably impair the protection offered by the head airbag in the event of it being deployed. When the deployed head airbag is inflated, parts of the accessories fitted may in certain circumstances be thrown into the interior of the car and cause injuries to the occupants ⇒page 193.
•Any work on the head airbag system including installing and removing system components because of other re pair work (e.g. removing headliner) must only be carried ou t by a specialist garage.
Deactivating an airbag
Deactivating airbags
If any airbags have been deactivated, switch them on again as soon
as possible so that they are able to again provide their proper protec-
tion.
There is the technical means installed within your vehicle to switch off the front, side* or head airbag* (take out of commission).
This is why you should have the deactiva tion of the airbags carried out by a specialist garage.
On vehicles equipped with the switch for de activation of the airbags, you can deac- tivate the front passenger airbag or passen ger side airbag by means of this switch ⇒ page 136.
Deactivation of airbags is envisaged only for particular instances, such as if:
•you must in exceptional cases use a child seat on the front passenger seat where the child has its back to the directio n of travel of the vehicle (in some coun- tries this must be in the direction of travel due to other legal regulations applying) ⇒ page 137, “Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats”
•you are not able to maintain the distance of at least 25 cm between middle of steering wheel and chest, despite the driver seat being correctly adjusted,
•special attachments are required in the area of the steering wheel because of a physical disability,
•you have installed other seats (e.g. orthopaedic seats without side airbags).
Monitoring the airbag system
The functionality of the airbag system is also monitored electronically, when one airbag has been switched off
If the airbag was switched of f using diagnostic equipment:
•The airbag indicator light in the instrument cluster lights up for about 3 seconds after switching on the ignition and then flashes after that for about 12 seconds.
If the airbag was switched off using the airbag switch* on the side of the dash panel:
•The airbag warning light comes on in the instrument cluster for about 3 seconds each time the ignition is switched on.
•Switching off airbags is indicated in the middle of the dash panel by the lighting up of the indicator light   ⇒page 136, fig. 134.
Note
Your Škoda Service Partner will be able to advise you whether national legislation in your country allows airbags in your vehi cle to be deactivated, and which ones.
WARNING (continued)
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