........ _o_ r_iv _i_ n""' g::;._ S_ a_f _e _ly =---------------------------------------------------
& WARNING (continued)
• Passengers must always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously 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 passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Always make sure that there are at least 4 inches (10 cm)
between the front passenger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel .
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat .
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat. Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc .
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even increase 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 157. Special
precautions apply when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
=:> page 135. •
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 prop
erly restrained whenever the vehicle 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 following:
- Make sure that the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position~
page 76.
Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat.
Fasten and wear safety belts properly ~
page 129.
-Make sure that children are always properly restrained in
a child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
~ page 157.
& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the rear seat can be
seriously injured in a crash.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the seatback
is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body . By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts! •
Driving Safely 111111 ______________________________________________________ __,::::;..._ _______ _
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an important part
of your vehicle's occupant restraint system and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.
Fig. 98 Correctly
adjusted head restraint
viewed from the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to achieve
the best protection.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge of the
restraint is level with the top of your head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the back of your
head as possible ~ fig. 98.
Adjusting head restraints=> page 74.
& WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with improperly adjusted head
restraints increases the risk of serious injuries in a collision. 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.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
•
Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly adjusts
their head restraint. Each head restraint must be adjusted
according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even
with the top of the person's head, but no lower than eye level and
so it is as close to the back of to the head as possible .
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any reason,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adjust the head
restraint.
• Children must always be properly restrained in a child restraint
that is appropriate for their age and size=>
page 157. •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce the risk of
injury if vehicle occupants ore properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious injury or
death . Safety belts can only work when they are properly
positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
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 seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect seating posi
tion when the vehicle is being used~& .
The following bullets list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious injury and death. Our hope is that these .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Safety belts -----------------=------
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, 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 improperly 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 acci
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts . Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi TI Coupe has two seating positions in the front and two
height-limited seating positions in the rear. Each seating position
has a safety belt. The rear seat area in your Audi TT Coupe does not
have enough room for passengers of all sizes. For reasons of safety,
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
no person taller than 4'11" (1.5 meters) should ever ride in the rear
seat area.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint.
• Persons taller than 4'11" (1.5 m) as well as children in booster
seats who are too close to the rear window and roof can suffer
severe head and neck injuries when the rear lid is closed or in a
crash.
• The minimum clearance between the passenger's heads and
the rear window must never - under any circumstances -be less
that 1 inch (2.5 cm.I when the passengers sit fully upright.
• Always make sure that rear seat passengers cannot be struck
when the rear lid is closed. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
Safety belt warning light 4
Your vehicle has a warn ing system for the driver and front
seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off , alw ays:
Fig . 100 Saf ety belt
w arn ing li ght in t he
in strum ent cluster -
e n la rge d
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you wear it prop
erly.
Make sure that your passengers also buckle up and prop
erly wea r th eir safety be lts.
- Protect children wit h a c hild restraint sys tem appropria te
for the s ize and age.
The warning light tin the instrument cluster lights up when the
ignition is swi tched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In
addition, you will hear a warning tone .
After the ignition is switched on , the warning light in the ins trumen t
cluster will a lways come on for about 6 seconds and if the driver has
not fastened the safety belt, a warning tone will also sound for
about 6 seconds. As soon as the driver has fastened the safety b elt,
the warning tone wil l stop and the warning light will go out.
If the driver or front seat passenger have not buckled-up within
about 10 seconds after the warning tone has stopped and the vehi
cle is moving faster than about 15 mph , the warning tone will
sound again for about 6 seconds and then stop for 24 seconds and
then repea t this reminder sequence for a maximum of 2 minu tes . At
speeds below 5 mph, the warning ton e will not sound .
Fas ten your safety belt and m ake sur e that your p as senger s al so
properly p ut o n the ir safety belt s.
& WARNING
• Saf ety belt s a re the single mo st effe ctive m ean s available to
r e d uc e the ri sk of ser iou s inj ury a nd death i n aut omobi le a cci
den ts. For your protection and that of your p assengers, always
corre ctly we ar sa fe ty belt s when the veh icle i s m oving.
• Failure to pay att ent ion t o th e w arning light that come on,
c ould l ead t o per sona l in jur y. •
Why safety be lts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for people riding
in vehicles.
--
Fig. 101 Unbe lt ed
o cc up ant s in a vehi cle
h ead ing fo r a w all
~
Fig. 102 The vehicle
crashes into the wall.
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen
gers possess energy which varies with vehicle speed and body
weight . Engineers 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 occupants in this vehicle are not using safety belts
~ page 126, fig . 101, they will ke ep moving at the same sp eed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops them -here, the wall~ fig. 102 .
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
(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more . At higher speeds , these forces are
even greater.
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
determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions. •
Safety first
Safety belts
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Fig. 103 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Fig . 104 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the
driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel , instrument panel , windshield , or
whatever else is in the way~ fig. 103 . This impact with the vehicle
interior has all th e energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not
91>
Vehicle care I I irechnical data
___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
supposed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver, must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of
severe injury or death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents
in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have
already deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the
vehicle where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly. Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers:::::,
page 127,
fig. 104. In a frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently,
where they can hit and injure 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!
Fig . 105 Driver is prop
er ly restrained in a
sudden braking
maneuver.
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference . Safety belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy
levels applied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the uncontrolled movement that
can cause serious injuries. In addition,
safety belts reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit
of being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered
into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the kinetic energy over a
longer period of time, the safety belts make the forces on the body
more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can also substantially reduce the risk of injury in other kinds
of crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to the
corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too . Acci
dent statistics show that vehicle occupants properly wearing safety
belts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of
surviving an accident. Properly using safety belts also greatly
increases the ability of the supplemental airbags to do their job in a
collision . For this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you still have to wear
the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front airbags are not activated in
all frontal collisions, in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration through impact to the
front of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt and make sure every body in your vehicle is properly restrained! •
Important safety instruct~ons about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be properly positioned across
the strongest bones of your body.
Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter. _,
- Make sure that your safety be lt s ar e alw ay s re ady fo r use
a nd are not damaged.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of ser ious personal injury and death . Safety belts can work
only when used correctly.
• Always fasten your safety belts correctly before driving off and
make sure all passengers are properly restrained .
• For maximum protection , safety belts must always be posi
tioned correctly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person , including small children ,
into any single safety belt .
• Never place a safety belt over a child sitting on your lap.
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
• Never let any person ride with feet on the instrument panel or
sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys , etc ., as these may cause
injury .
• Never wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct posi
tioning of belts and redu ce their effectiveness .
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
bu ckle from latching securely .
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt . However , special clips may be required for the
correct use of some child restraint systems.
Safety first
Safety belts
& WARNING !continued)
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and damaged belt hardware
can break in an accident . Inspect belts regularly . If webbing , bind
ings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced by an
authori zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop . Replacement may
be necessary even if damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages
that were loaded must also be inspected .
• Never remove , modify , disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself .
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel
=> page 209 , "Safety
belts" .•
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
S eat firs t - everybo dy b uckle u p!
Vehicle care I I
Fig . 106 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver 's seat
Iii>-
irechnical data
___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 69, "General recommendations ".
Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>&.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch securely => page
129, fig. 106.
Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident . The belt may also lock
when you drive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts on the front seats are equipped with a belt preten
sion er that helps to tighten the safety belt and remove slack when
the pretensioner is activated. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light:::::,
page 78, "Airbag system
t!A (USA models) /!.ir (Canada models)".
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with
a switchable locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt
is used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the important informa
tion about this feature:::::,
page 168.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious injury in an
accident :::::,
page 130, "Safety belt position".
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat.
Attaching the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child seat in the vehicle:::::,
page 170. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maximum
protection f ram safety belts.
Fig. 107 Head restraint
and safety belt posi
tion as seen from the
side
Use the height adjustment to change the position of the shoulder
straps of the front seat safety belts.
~