2009 SKODA SUPERB Owner's Manual

Seat belts
168
Seat beltsWhy seat belts?It is a proven fact that seat belt
s offer good protection in accidents
⇒fig. 162
. 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. 162
. 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 169.
It is important that you pay attention to
safety measures, particularly when trans-
porting children in the vehicle
⇒page 185, “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 170, “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. 162 Driver wearing seat belt
s2dk.1.book Page 168 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
169
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. 163
. 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. 164
.
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 170, “How are seat belts
correctly fa
stened?”.
Fig. 163 The driver is thrown forward if not wearing a beltFig. 164 The rear seat occu-pant is thrown forward if not wearing a belt
s2dk.1.book Page 169 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
170
•
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 164, “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 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 217, “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 82.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 165 Routing of webbing over the shoulders and the lap beltFig. 166 Routing of belt webbing for an expectant mother
s2dk.1.book Page 170 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
171
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 170,
fig. 165
. 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
⇒page 170, fig. 166
.
•
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. – Move the height adjuster in the desired direction up or down
⇒
fig. 167
.
– 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. 167 Front seat: Seat belt height adjuster
s2dk.1.book Page 171 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
172
Taking seat belts off– Press the red button in the belt lock
⇒
fig. 168
. The spring force causes
the tongue of the lock to jump out.
– Guide the belt back with your hand
to enable the inertia reel to wind
up the belt webbing more easily.
A plastic knob in the belt webbing holds the belt tongue in a position which is easy to get hold of.Three-point safety belt for the middle rear seatYour car is equipped as standa
rd with the three-point seat belt in the middle rear
seat. It is used in the same way as the three-point seat belts on the left and right (at front and rear).
WARNING
The three-point safety belt for the rear middle seat can only fulfil its function reliably when the backrests are correctly locked into position
⇒page 84.
Belt tensionersSafety for the driver and passengers
wearing their seat belts
, is enhanced by the
belt tensioners fitted to the inertia reels of the front and rear side three-point seat belts, in addition to the protecti
on afforded by the airbag system.
The three-point seat belts are automatically
tensioned in the event of a frontal colli-
sion of a certain severity.The
belt tensioners can also be deployed if the seat belts
are not fastened. The belt tensioner is deployed in the event
of a frontal collision of major severity. A
powder charge is ignited in the inertia
reels during deployment. The belt webbing
is pulled into the inertia reels by a mech
anical system and the belt is tensioned.
The belt tensioners are not activated in
case of minor frontal and rear-end colli-
sions, in the case of vehicle rollover or accidents, through which no long delays are incurred to the vehicle. In the case of a side collision, only the belt tensioner of the front seat on the side on which th
e collision takes place is deployed.
WARNING
•
Any work on the system including removal and installation of system
components because of other repair work, must only be carried out by a specialist garage.•
The protective function of the system is only adequate for a single acci-
dent. If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to replace the entire system.•
The Owner's Manual must also be ha
nded over to the new owner if the
vehicle is sold.
Note
•
Smoke is generated when the belt tensione
rs are deployed. This is not an indi-
cation of a fire in the vehicle.•
It is essential to pay attention to relevant
safety regulations if the vehicle or indi-
vidual parts of the system are scrapped. Specialist garages are familiar with these regulations and will be able to provide you
with detailed information in this respect.
Fig. 168 Releasing lock tongue from belt lock
s2dk.1.book Page 172 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
173
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
When disposing of vehicle or parts of the system, it is important to comply with
the national legal requirements.
s2dk.1.book Page 173 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Airbag system
174
Airbag systemDescription of the airbag systemGeneral information on the airbag systemThe front airbag system is complementary to the three-point seat belts and offers additional protection for the head and ches
t area of the driver and passenger in the
event of a frontal collision. In the case of a violent side crash, the si
de* and head* airbags reduce the risk of
injuries to the occupants on
the part of the body facing
the side of the accident
⇒
.
The airbag system is only functional after the ignition has been switched on.The operational readiness of the airbag system is monitored electronically. The airbag warning light comes on for a few seconds each time the ignition is switched on. The airbag system (according to vehicl
e equipment) essent
ially consists of:
•
an electronic control unit,
•
front airbag for the driver and front passenger,
•
Driver's knee airbag*,
•
front side airbags,
•
Rear side airbags*,
•
head airbags*,
•
an airbag warning light in the instrument cluster,
•
a front passenger airbag switch*,
•
an indicator light for a switched off fron
t seat passenger airbag* in the middle
of the dash panel. A fault in the airbag system exists if:•
the airbag indicator light does not light
up when the ignition is switched on,
•
the warning light does not go out after about 4 seconds after the ignition is
switched on,
•
the airbag indicator light goes out and comes on again after the ignition is
switched on,•
the airbag indicator light comes on or flickers when driving,
•
an airbag indicator light showing a swit
ched-off front passenger airbag* in the
middle of the dash panel flashes.
WARNING
•
To enable the occupants of a car to be protected with the greatest
possible effect when the airbag is deployed, the front seats must be ⇒ page 164, “Correct seated position” co
rrectly adjusted to match the body
size of the occupant.•
If you do not fasten the seat belts when driving, lean too far forward or
adopt an incorrect seated position, you are exposing yourself to increased risk of injury in the event of an accident.•
Have the airbag system checked imme
diately by a specialist garage if a
fault exists. Otherwise, there is a risk of the airbag not being activated in the event of an accident. •
No modifications of any kind may be made to parts of the airbag system.
•
It is prohibited to manipulate individual parts of the airbag system as this
might result in the airbag being deployed.•
The protective function of the airbag system is sufficient for only one
accident. The airbag system must then
be replaced if the airbag has been
deployed.•
The airbag system needs no maintenance during its working life.
•
If you sell your car, please hand over the complete vehicle documenta-
tion to the new owener. Please note that the documents relating to the possibility of deactivating the front passenger airbag are also part of the vehicle documents!•
If the vehicle or individual parts of
the airbag system are scrapped, it is
essential to observe the relevant safety precautions. The authorised Škoda Service Partners are famili
ar with these regulations.
s2dk.1.book Page 174 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Airbag system
175
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
When disposing of vehicle or parts of the airbag system, it is important
to comply with the national legal requirements.When are the airbags deployed?The airbag system is designed in such
a way that the driver and front passenger
airbag are deployed in the event of a
frontal collision
of major severity.
In the case of a
violent side crash
, the front side airbag* on the side of the car at
which the collision occurs, is deployed toge
ther with the rear side airbag and the
head airbag*. In certain accident situa
tions, the front airbags, side airbags as well as the relevant
head airbag may be
deployed together.
The airbags
are not deployed
in the case of
minor
frontal and side collisions, in the
case of rear-end collisi
ons and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors It is not possible to state globally which
deployment conditions apply to the airbag
system in every situation as the circumstances which exist in the case of accidents vary greatly. An important role in this case
, for example, is played by factors such as
the type of object (hard, soft) against whic
h the vehicle impacts or the type of object
against which the vehicle impa
cts, the angle of impact,
the relative vehicle speed
during the accident etc. A decisive factor for the deployment of the airbags is the deceleration which occurs during a collision. The control unit analyses
the nature of the collision and activates
the relevant restraint system. If the vehi
cle deceleration which occurs and is meas-
ured during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit, the airbags are not
deployed although the vehicle may well
suffer severe damage to the bodywork
as a consequence of the accident.
The airbags are not deployed if:•
ignition off,
•
a minor frontal collision,
•
a minor side collision,
•
a rear-end collision,
•
Rollover of the vehicleNote
•
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is
perfectly normal and is not an indi
cation of a fire in the vehicle.
•
The dash panel must be replaced afte
r the front passenger airbag has been
deployed.•
In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed: − The interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in the door contact position), − The hazard warning light is switched on, − All the doors are unlocked, − the battery in the luggage compartment* is switched off, − the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
WARNING (continued)
s2dk.1.book Page 175 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM