2009 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR Owner's Manual

Passive Safety
104
•
Ensure that the lighting and the turn signal system are functioning properly.
•
Inspect the tyre inflation pressure.
•
Ensure that all the windows offer a good visibility to the outside.
•
Safely attach the items of luggage
⇒page 68, “Loading the luggage compart-
ment”.•
Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedal.
•
Adjust the mirror, the front seat and the head restraint to match your body size.
•
Point out to your occupants that the head restraints must be adjusted to match
their body size.•
Protect the children in suitable child se
ats with correctly fastened seat belts
⇒ page 123, “Transporting children safely”.•
Adopt the correct seated position
⇒page 104, “Correct seated position”. Also
inform your occupants to adop
t the correct seated position.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly. Also inform your occupants to properly fasten the
seat belts
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
What influences the driving safety? The driving safety is primarily dete
rmined by the style of driving and
the personal behaviour of all the occupants.The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety is effected, you place yourself and the oncomi
ng traffic at risk. Please refer to the
following guidelines.•
Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
occupants or mobile phone calls.•
Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication,
alcohol, drugs.•
Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
•
Adjust the driving speed at all times to the road condition as well as to the traffic
and weather conditions.•
Take regular breaks on long journe
ys - at the latest every two hours.
Correct seated positionCorrect seated position for the driver Correct seated position for the dr
iver is important for safe and
relaxed driving.For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident, we recommend the following setting:•
Adjust the steering wheel so that the distance between the steering wheel and
your chest is at least 25 cm
⇒fig. 111
.
•
Position the driver seat in the forward/back direction so that you are able to fully
press the pedals with your legs at a slight angle.
Fig. 111 The correct distance of the driver from the steering wheelFig. 112 The correct head restraint adjustment for the driver
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Passive Safety
105
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
Adjust the seat 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
⇒page 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. Manual driver seat adjustment
⇒page 60, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical driver seat adjustment
⇒page 61, “Adjusting front seats electrically*”.
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 driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering
wheel
⇒page 104, fig. 111
. Not maintaining this minimum distance will
mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!•
When driving, hold the steering whee
l 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 another way (e.g. in the middle of the steering wheel or at the inner
steering wheel edge). In such cases,
injuries to the arms, the hands and the head can occur when the driver airbag is deployed.•
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!•
Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get
behind the pedals during a driving or
braking manoeuvre.
You would then
no longer be able to operate the
clutch, to brake or accelerate.
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 combination of the airbag and the seat belt offers the greatest possible sa
fety 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 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. In exceptional cases the front pass
enger airbag can be deactivated
⇒page 120,
“Deactivating an airbag”. Manual front passenger adjustment
⇒page 60, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment
⇒page 61, “Adjusting front seats electri-
cally*”.
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 mi
nimum 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 vehicle 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!
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Passive Safety
106
•
The seat backrests must not be angl
ed too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the 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 sit upright, keep the feet in the footwell and must have their se
at 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 top edge of the head restraints are at the
same level as the upper part of your head
⇒page 104, fig. 112
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”.•
If you are transporting
⇒page 123, “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 an
airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal
injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!•
If the occupants on the rear seats are no
t sitting upright, the risk of injury
is increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
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 on
ly if the webbing of the seat belts is
properly routed. Incorrect seated positio
ns considerably reduce the protective
functions of the seat belts and therefore incr
ease the risk of injury due to an incor-
rect routing of the seat belt. The driver is fully responsible for himself and the 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 seat 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 (continued)
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Passive Safety
107
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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 belts
108
Seat beltsWhy seat belts?It is a proven fact that seat belt
s offer good protection in accidents
⇒fig. 113
. 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. 113
. 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 109.
It is important that you pay attention to
safety measures, particularly when trans-
porting children in the vehicle
⇒page 123, “What you should know about trans-
porting children!”.
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 110, “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. 113 Driver wearing seat belt
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Seat belts
109
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
The physical principle of a frontal collisionThe physical principle of a frontal a
ccident can be explained quite simply:
Motion energy, so-called kinetic energy, is
produced as soon as the vehicle is
moving, both for the vehicle and its occupants. The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends essentially on the speed at which the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the vehicle and the occupants. The greater the speed and weight increase,
the greater the amount of energy which has to be absorbed in the event of an acci- dent. The speed of the vehicle is, nevertheless,
the most important factor. Doubling the
speed of the vehicle from 25 km/h up to
50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy
four times. The common opinion that it is possible to
support your body
in a minor accident
with your hands, is incorrect. Even in a
collision at only a low speed, the forces
acting on the body are such that it is
no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed within the range from 30 km/hour to 50 km/hour, the forces which are produced on your body
in the event of an accident can easily
exceed 10.000 N (Newton). This equals a weight of one tonne (1 000 kg). In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt, are thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the car, such as steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen,
⇒fig. 114
. The occupants of a
vehicle who have not fastened their seat belts may even be thrown out of the vehicle. This can resu
lt in fatal injuries.
It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they will other- wise be thrown through the vehicle in an
uncontrolled manner in the event of an
accident A rear seat passenger who has not
fastened the seat belt is a danger not
only to himself but also fo
r those seated at the front
⇒fig. 115
.
Important safety information regarding the use of seat beltsThe correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the risk of injury!
WARNING
•
The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or
twisted, or chafe ag
ainst any sharp edges.
•
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts
are to offer their maximum protection
⇒page 110, “How are seat belts
correctly fa
stened?”.
Fig. 114 The driver is thrown forward if not wearing a beltFig. 115 The rear seat occu-pant is thrown forward if not wearing a belt
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Seat belts
110
•
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 104, “Correct seated position”.
•
The belt webbing must no
t 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 seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts 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 153, “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 front seat and
the head restraint before fastening
your seat belt
⇒
page 60.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 116 Routing of webbing over the shoulders and the lap beltFig. 117 Routing of belt webbing for an expectant mother
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Seat belts
111
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the to
ngue of the lock over your chest
and pelvis
⇒
.
– Insert the tongue of the lock into th
e seat belt buckle belonging to the
seat until it is heard to lock in place.
– Pull on the belt to check that it has also reliably engaged in the lock.Each three-point seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel. This inertia reel offers you complete freedom of movement if the
belt is unreeled slowly. If the brakes are
applied suddenly, the inertia reel will block. It also blocks the belts when the car accelerates, when driving uphill and when cornering. Expectant mothers must also wear the seat belt
⇒
.
WARNING
•
The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across your neck but
must run approximately over the middl
e of the shoulder and fit snugly
against the chest. The lap part of the
belt must run across the hip and must
never be routed across the stomach. It must always fit snugly
⇒page 110,
fig. 116
. Adjust the belt webbing as required.
•
The lap part of the belt should be positioned as low as possible at the
pelvis of an expectant mother in order to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower abdomen.•
Always ensure that the webbing of the
seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctly adjusted ca
n themselves cause injuries even in
minor accidents.•
A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body
is moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an accident and is then suddenly held firm by the belt.•
Only insert the lock tongue into the lo
ck which is the correct one for your
seat. This will affect the protection whic
h the belt offers and increase the risk
of an injury.
Seat belt height adjusterThe seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the routing of the three-point seat belt in
the area of the shoulder to match
your body size. – In order to adjust the height, press
on the upper seat belt deflection
and push it into the desired direction up or down so that the shoulder part of the belt is positioned appr
oximately across the middle of your
shoulder
⇒
page 110, fig. 116
.
– Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure
that the seat belt height adjuster
has correctly locked in place.
WARNING
Adjust the height of the belt in such a way that the shoulder part of the belt is positioned approximately across the middle of your shoulder - on no account across your neck.
Note
It is also possible to adapt the routing
of the belt webbing at the front seats by
adjusting the height of the seat.
Fig. 118 Front seat: Seat belt height adjuster
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