2008 SKODA ROOMSTER travel

Transporting children safely137
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Transporting children safely
What you should know about transporting children!
An introduction to the subject
Accident statistics have revealed that children are generally more
safely transported on the rear seat s than on the front passenger seat.
Children younger than 12 years of age should normally travel on the rear seat of the vehicle (take note of any na tional legal provisions which differ from this). They should be secured there by means of a child restraint system or by using the existing seat belts depending on their age, body si ze and weight. The child seat should be mounted behind the front passen ger seat for safety reasons.
The physical principle of an accident do es, of course, also apply to children ⇒ page 123, “The physical principle of a frontal collision”. They differ from adults in that their muscles and bone structure of ch ildren are not yet fully developed. Thus children are exposed to increased risk of injury.
Children should be transported by using special child safety seats in order to reduce this risk of injury.
Only use child safety seats which are offici ally approved, suitable for children and which comply with the ECE-R 44 standard, wh ich classifies child safety seats into 5 groups ⇒page 140, “Classification of child seats into groups”. Child restraint systems which have been tested for confor mity with ECE-R 44 have a non-detach- able test seal (a large E within a circle and below this the test number) attached to the seat.
We recommend that you use ch ild safety seats from the Škoda genuine accessories. These child seats were developed and also tested for use in Škoda vehicles. They fulfil the standard ECE-R 44.
WARNING
Always comply with national legal provisions and instructions from the rele-vant child safety seat manufacturer wh en installing and using a child seat ⇒ in “Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats”.
Note
Any national legal provisions which vary from the information contained in this Owner's Manual take precedence over the information contained herein.
Important safety information regarding the use of child safety
seats
Correct use of child safety seats considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•All the occupants of the car - in particular children - must wear a seat belt when the car is moving!
•Chi ld re n le s s tha n 1. 5 0 m i n h e ig ht or younger than 12 years must not use a normal seat belt withou t a child restraint system otherwise this may result in injuries to the stomach and neck areas. Comply with the national legal requirements.
•One should never carry children, and also not babies! - on one's lap.
•You can transport a child safely in a suitable child safety seat ⇒page 140, “Child seat”!
•Only one child may be fastened with a seat belt into a child safety seat.
•Never leave the child sitting unattended in the seat.
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Transporting children safely138
•Certain outside climatic conditions can cause life-threatening tempera- tures in the vehicle.
•Never allow your child to be transported in a vehicle without the use of a suitable restraint system.
•Children should also never stand up in a vehicle or kneel on the seats when the vehicle is moving. In the even t of an accident the child will be thrown through the vehicle and may as a result suffer fatal injuries, and also injure other occupants.
•Children are exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an acci- dent if they lean forward or adopt an incorrect seated position when the vehicle is moving. This particularly applies to children who are transported on the front passenger seat if the airb ag system deploys in the event of an accident. This can result in severe or even fatal injuries.
•It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts are to offer their maximum protection ⇒page 124, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”. Pay particular atte ntion to the information provided by the manufacturer of the child safety se at regarding correct routing of the belt. Seat belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause inju- ries even in minor accidents.
•Safety belts must be checked to ensure that they are running properly. One should also ensure that the belt is not damaged by sharp-edged fittings.
•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 deploy ed. In certain 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 regarding the use of child safety seats.
Use of child safety seats on the front passenger seat
Child safety seats should always be attached to the rear seats.
We recommend, for safety reasons, that you always mount a child restraint systems on the rear seats whenever possible. If you still decide, however, to use a child safety seat on the front passenger seat th en you must pay attention to the following warnings in connection with the use of th e airbag system on the front passenger seat.
WARNING
•Warning - particular hazard! Never use a child safety seat on the front passenger seat in which the child is seat ed with its back facing the direction of travel. This child safety seat is positioned in the deployment area of the front passenger airbag. The airbag may cause the child severe, or even fatal injuries, in the event of it being deployed.
•This is also clearly stated on the st icker which is located on the centre column of the body on the front passenger side ⇒fig. 135. The sticker is visible upon opening the front passen ger door. For some countries, the sticker is affixed to the sun visor of the front passenger.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 135 Sticker on the centre column of the body on the front passenger side.
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Transporting children safely139
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•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 or head passenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropri ate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•If the front passenger airbag has been switched off by a specialist garage using the vehicle system tester, the si de passenger airbag* remains switched on. In certain countries national legal provisions require that besides the front passenger airbag also the side or head passenger airbags are deacti- vated. Please comply with any differin g national legal regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•If a child safety seat in which the child faces in the direction of travel is used on the front passenger seat, the front passenger seat must be moved back and to the top fully. Adjust the backrest to the vertical position.
•As soon as you no longer use the chil d safety seat on the front passenger seat, you should again have the front or the side passenger airbag activated.
Child safety and side airbag*
Children must never be seated in the deployment area of the side
airbags and head airbags.
Side airbags* offer the vehicle occupants enhanced protection in the event of a collision from the side.
The side airbags are inflated in fractions of a second in order to be able to provide this protection ⇒page 132, “Function of the side airbags”.
An airbag inflating develops such a strong force that an occupant who has not adopted a correct seated position may suff er injuries. Also exposed objects which are located within the area of th e side airbag can cause injuries.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 136 Seated position of an unprotected child at risk from side airbag
Fig. 137 Child properly protected by safety seat
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Transporting children safely140
This applies particularly to children if they are not transported in accordance with legal requirements.
The child is protected when seated in a child safety seat matching its age. Adequate room is available between th e child and the deployment area of the side airbag and head airbag. The airbag offers optimal protection.
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 deploy ed. In certain 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 regarding the use of child safety seats.
•When transporting a child on the fr ont passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•Children must never be seated with their head in the deployment area of the side airbag - risk of injury!
•Do not place any objects within the deployment area of the side airbag - risk of injury!
Child seat
Classification of child seats into groups
Only child safety seats which have an official approval and are suit-
able for the child, may be used.
ECE-R 44 standard applies to child safety seats. ECE-R means: Economic Commis- sion of Europe - Regulation.
Child safety seats which have been tested for conformity with ECE-R 44 have a non- detachable test seal (a large E within a circle and below this the test number) attached to the seat.
Child safety seats are classified in 5 groups:
Children of more than 150 cm in height may use the seat belts fitted to the vehicle without a seat bolster.
Use of child seats
An overview of the usefulness of child se ats on each of the seats according to the EG guidelines 77/541 and ECE 44 standard:
GroupWeight
00 - 10 kg⇒ page 141
0+up to 13 kg⇒page 141
19 - 18 kg⇒page 141
215 - 25 kg⇒page 142
322 - 36 kg⇒page 142
Child seat according to group
Front passenger seatRear seat outsideRear seat middle
0 a)
a)Only valid for some countries.
0+ a)
1 a)
2 and 3
AUAUA+ATAUAT
AUAUA+ATAUAT
AUAUA+ATAUAT
AUAUAU
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Transporting children safely141
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistancePraktikTechnical Data
Universal category - seat is suitable for all approved types of child safety seats.
The seat can be fitted wi th fixing eyes for the “ISOFIX*”system.
The seat is equipped as standa rd with the fixing system “To p Te t h e r”.
Child seats of group 0/0+
The optimal solution for babies of up to about 9 months old weighing up to 10 kg or babies up to about 18 mont hs old weighing up to 13 kg is a child safety seat which is fastened in the opposite direction of travel ⇒fig. 138.
Child seats in which the child is facing with its back towards the direction of travel should not be used on the front pa ssenger seat when the vehicle is fitted with a front passenger airbag ⇒page 138, “Use of child safety seats on the front passenger seat”.
WARNING
•It is essential to always switch off the front passenger airbag (airbags) at a specialist garage or with the switch for front passenger airbag(s)* when attaching in exceptional circumstances 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) ⇒ page 136.
•In certain countries national legal provisions require that besides the front passenger airbag also the side or head passenger airbags are deacti- vated. Please comply with any differin g national legal regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•If this is not done, a child seated on the front passenger seat may suffer severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag or airbags are deployed.
•You should have the front passenger ai rbag (or airbags) reactivated just as soon as you no longer use a child sa fety seat on the front passenger seat.
Child safety seats in Group 1
Child seats in Group 1 are for babies and small children up to 4 years of age with a weight of between 9 and 18 kilograms. It is best for children in the lower range of this group, to use a child seat which allows the child to sit with its back to the direc- tion of travel. It is best for children in the upper range of the Group 0+, to use a child seat which allows the child to sit ⇒fig. 139 in the direction of travel.
Child seats in which the child is facing with its back towards the direction of travel should not be used on the front pa ssenger seat when the vehicle is fitted with a front passenger airbag ⇒page 138, “Use of child safety seats on the front passenger seat”.
AU
A+
AT
Fig. 138 Child seats of group 0/0+
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 139 Child seat with padded table in Group 1 installed on rear seat bench facing the direc-tion of travel
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Transporting children safely142
WARNING
•It is essential to always switch off the front passenger airbag (airbags) at a specialist garage or with the switch for front passenger airbag(s)* when attaching in exceptional circumstances 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) ⇒ page 136.
•In certain countries national legal provisions require that besides the front passenger airbag also the side or head passenger airbags are deacti- vated. Please comply with any differin g national legal regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•If this is not done, a child seated on the front passenger seat may suffer severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag or airbags are deployed.
•You should have the front passenger ai rbag (or airbags) reactivated just as soon as you no longer use a child sa fety seat on the front passenger seat.
Child safety seats in Group 2
For children up to about 7 years of age weighing between 15 and 25 kg the optimal solution is a child safety seat in comb ination with the three-point seat belt ⇒ fig. 140.
WARNING
•When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulati ons regarding the use of child safety seats. Switch off the front passenger airb ag if necessary at a specialist garage or switch it off with the switch for front passenger airbag* ⇒page 136.
•The shoulder part of the seat belt must run approximately across the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly agai nst the chest. It must on no account run across the neck. The lap part of the seat belt must run across the pelvis and fits snugly; it must not run over the belly. Tighten the belt webbing over your hip if necessary.
•Please comply with any differing nati onal legal regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
Child safety seats in Group 3
For children of about 7 years of age weighi ng between 22 and 36 kg and of a height of less than 150 cm, the optimal solution is a child safety seat (seat bolster) in combination with the three-point seat belt ⇒fig. 141.
Fig. 140 Child seat in Group 2 installed on the rear seat facing the direc-tion of travel
Fig. 141 Child seat in Group 3 installed on the rear seat facing the direc-tion of travel
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Wheels and Tyres187
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Wheels and Tyres
Wheels
General comments
•New tyres do not offer optimal grip at first and should therefore be run in for about 500 km at a moderate speed and an appropriately cautious style of driving. You will also profit from longer tyre life.
•The tread depth of new tyres may differ because of design features and the configuration of the tread (depending on the type of tyre and the manufacturer).
•Drive over curbs on the side of the road and other such obstacles slowly and, where possible, at a right angles in order to avoid damage to tyres and wheel trims.
•Inspect your tyres from time to time for damage (punctures, cuts, splits and bulges). Remove foreign bodies from the tyre profile.
•Damage to tyres and wheels is frequent ly not visible. Unusual vibrations or pulling of the vehicle to one side could be a sign of tyre damage. Please reduce your speed immediately and stop if you suspect that a wheel is damaged. Inspect the tyres for signs of damage (bulge s, splits, etc.) If no visible damage is present, please drive at an appropriatel y slow speed and carefully to the nearest specialist garage in order to have your vehicle inspected.
•Also protect your tyres from contact with oil, grease and fuel.
•Immediately replace any dust caps of the valves which have got lost.
•Mark wheels before removing them so th at their previous direction of running can be maintained when mounted them again.
•Always store wheels or tyres which been removed in a cool, dry and, where possible, dark place. Tyres which are not fixed to a wheel trim should be stored upright.
Unidirectional tyres*
The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by arrows on the wall of the tyre. This indicates the direction of rotation of the tyre, and it is essential that the tyres are fitted on to run in this direction. Only then are the tyres able to provide the optimal properties in terms of grip, low noise, wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Further information concerning the use of unidirectional tyres ⇒page 191.
WARNING
•New tyres during the first 500 km do not offer optimal grip and should therefore be run appropriately - risk of accident!
•Never drive with damaged tyres - risk of accident!
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.
Tyre life
The life of your tyres very much depends on the following points:
Tyre pressure
The working life of tyres will be shortened considerably if the tyres are insufficiently or over-inflated and this will have an adverse effect on the handling of your vehicle.
Correctly inflated tyres are of partic ular importance when travelling at high speeds. It is therefore good to check the pressure at least once a month and also before
Fig. 164 An opened fuel filler flap with the tyre inflation pressure table
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Wheels and Tyres188
setting off on a long trip. Please do not forget the spare wheel when checking the tyres.
The tyre inflation pressures for summer tyres are indicated on the inside of the fuel filler flap ⇒page 187, fig. 164. The inflation pressures for winter tyres are 20 kPa (0.2 bar) higher than those for summer tyres ⇒page 190.
The tyre pressure should be at the highest pressure specified for your vehicle at all times.
Always check the inflation pressure of ty res when cold. Do not reduce the higher pressure of warm tyres. Adapt the inflation pressure of the tyres accordingly if your vehicle is carrying a significantly higher payload.
Driving style
Fast cornering, sharp acceleration and braking (squealing tyres) increase wear-and- tear on your tyres.
Balancing wheels
The wheels of a new vehicle are balanced. There are a wide range of influences when driving which may result in an imbalance and which makes themselves felt through vibration in the steering.
You should have the wheels rebalanced since any imbalance increases wear-and- tear on the steering, the suspension and tyres. A wheel must also be rebalanced when a new tyre is fitted and each time a tyre is repaired.
Wheel alignment errors
Incorrect wheel alignment at the front and re ar will not only increase wear-and-tear on the tyres but will also has an adverse effect on vehicle safety. Contact your specialist garage if you notice any unusual tyre wear.
WARNING
•If the inflation pressure is too low, the tyre must perform a greater flexing work. At higher speeds the tyre will warm up as a result of this. This can result in tread separation and even a tyre blowout.
•Immediately replace the damaged rims or tyres.
For the sake of the environment
Tyres which are insufficiently inflated increase your fuel consumption.
Wear indicators
The base of the tread of the original tyres has wear indicators 1.6 mm high, installed at right angles to the direction of travel. These wear indicators are located at 6 - 8 points depending on the make and are evenly spaced around the circumference of the tyre ⇒fig. 165. Markings on the walls of the tyres through the letters “TWI”, triangular symbols or other symbols identi fy the position of the wear indicators.
A remaining tread of just 1.6 mm, measured in the grooves of the tread next to the wear indicators, means that your tyres have reached their legally permissible minimum tread depth.
WARNING
•You must have your tyres replaced with new ones at the latest when the wear indicators have been worn do wn. The legally permissible minimum tread depth should be observed.
•Worn tyres do not provide the necessary adhesion to the road surface at high speeds on wet roads. One coul d experience “aquaplaning” (uncon- trolled movements of the vehicle - “swimming” on a wet road surface).
Fig. 165 Tyre tread with wear indicators
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