2010 SKODA FABIA Owner's Manual

Communication
112
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Passive Safety
113
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
SafetyPassive SafetyBasic informationDriving the safe way Passive safety measures reduce the risk
of injury in accident situations.
In this section you will find important info
rmation, tips and notes on the subject of
passive safety in your vehicle. We have
combined everything here which you should
be familiar with, for example, regarding seat
belts, airbags, child seats and safety of
children. It is therefore important, in partic
ular, to comply with the notes and warnings
in this section for your own interest and in the interest of those travelling with you.
WARNING

This chapter contains important information on how to use the vehicle for
the driver and his occupants. You will find further information on safety, which concerns you and those travelling with you, in the following chapters of this Owner's Manual.
The complete on-board literature should always be in the vehicle. This
applies in particular, if you rent out or sell the vehicle.Safety equipment The safety equipment is part of the occupant protection and it can reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.“Do not put at risk” your safety and the safety of those travelling with you . In the event of an accident, the safety equipment can redu
ce the risk of injuries. The following list
contains part of the safety
equipment in your vehicle:

three-point seat belts for all the seats;

belt force limiters for front seats;

belt tensioners for front seats;

seat belt height adjusters for front seats;

front airbags for the driver and the front passenger*;

side airbags*;

head airbags*;

anchoring points for child seat using the “ISOFIX” system;

anchoring points for child seat using the “Top Tether” system;

head restraints adjustable for height;

adjustable steering column.
The specified safety equipment works togeth
er, in order to optimally protect you and
those travelling with you in accident situat
ions. The safety equipment does not protect
you or the people travelling with you, if
you or your occupants adopt an incorrect
seated position or the equipment is
not correctly adjusted or used.
For this reason you will be provided with information on why this equipment is very important, how it protects you and the occupants, what should be observed when using the equipment and how you and the peop
le travelling with you can make full use
of the existing safety equipment. This
Owner's Manual contains important warning
notes, which you and those travelling with
you should pay attention to in order to
reduce a risk of injury. Safety concerns everybody!Before setting off The driver is always fully responsibl
e for his occupants and for the oper-
ating safety of the vehicle.For your own safety and the safety of the pe
ople travelling with you, please pay atten-
tion to the following points before setting off.
Ensure that the lighting and the turn signal system are functioning properly.

Inspect the tyre inflation pressure.
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Passive Safety
114

Ensure that all the windows offer
a good visibility to the outside.

Safely attach the items of luggage
page 63, “Loading the luggage compartment”.

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 seats with correctly fastened seat belts
 page 130, “Transporting children safely”.
Adopt the correct seated position. Also in
form your occupants to adopt the correct
seated position.
Fasten the seat belt correctly. Also inform your occupants to properly fasten the
seat belts
page 119, “How are seat be
lts correctly fastened?”.
What influences the driving safety? The driving safety is primarily determined by the style of driving and the personal behaviour of all the occupants.The driver is fully responsible for himself an
d his occupants. If yo
ur 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 occu-
pants 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 driver is important for safe and relaxed driving.Fig. 108 The correct distance of the driver from
the steering wheel / The
correct head restraint
adjustment for the driverFor 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. 108
- left.

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.
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
fig. 108
- right.

Fasten the seat belt correctly
page 119, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
Driver seat adjustment
page 59, “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
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Passive Safety
115
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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 114, fig. 108
. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that
the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
When driving, hold the st
eering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock po
sition. 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.

Ensure that there are no objects in
the footwell as an
y 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 f ro n t p as s en ger mus t mai n tai n a d i s tan ce of a t l ea s t 25 c m f rom th e dash panel so that the airbag offers him the greatest possible safety it is deployed.For the safety of the front pass
enger 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 ed
ge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper pa
rt of your head
page 114, fig. 108
- right.

Fasten the seat belt correctly
page 119, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass
enger airbag can be deactivated
page 128,
“Deactivating airbags”. Adjusting the passenger seat
page 59, “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 footwel
l 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 ev
ent of an accident. If an airbag is
deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries wh
en adopting an incorrect seated posi-
tion!
The seat backrests must not be angled
too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the se
at 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 foot- well 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 accident,
the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following.
Adjust the head restraints so that the top edge of the head restraints is at the same
level as the upper part of your head
page 114, fig. 108
.

Fasten the seat belt correctly
page 119, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.

If you are transporting
page 130, “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.
WARNING (continued)
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Passive Safety
116

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 the 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 acci
dent you may suffer fatal injuries!

If the occupants on the rear
seats are not sitting uprigh
t, 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 only
if the webbing of the seat belts is prop-
erly routed. Incorrect seated positions considerably reduce the protective functions of the seat belts and therefore increase the risk
of injury due to an incorrect routing of the
seat belt. The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants, in particular for the children. Do not permit an occupant to
adopt an incorrect 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 complete, howe
ver we would like you to get interested in
this subject. Therefore, while the car is moving never:
stand up in the vehicle;

stand up on the seats;

kneel on the seats;

tilt the seat backrest fully to the back;

lean against the dash panel;

lie on the rear seat bench;

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;

transport somebody in the footwell;

have the seat belt not fastened when driving;

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 occupants to adopt the correct seated position and not to change this seated position while the car is moving.
WARNING (continued)
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Seat belts
117
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Seat beltsWhy seat belts?It is a proven fact that seat belt
s offer good protection in accidents
fig. 109
. Thus
wearing a seat belt is a legal requirement in most countries. Seat belts which have been correctly fasten
ed and adjusted hold the occupants of the
car in the correct seated position
fig. 109
. The belts reduce the kinetic energy
(energy of motion) to a considerable exte
nt. 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 meas- ures, such as the airbag system, also cont
ribute 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 117. It is important that you pay attention to
safety measures, particularly when trans-
porting children in the vehicle
page 130, “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 119, “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 properly on the next pages.
Note
Please comply with any differing legal requirements when using the seat belts.The physical principle of a frontal collisionFig. 110 The driver is catapulted forward if not
wearing a belt / The rear seat occupant is cata-
pulted forward if not wearing a beltThe 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 vehicl
e 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 ab
sorbed in the event of an accident.
Fig. 109 Driver
wearing seat belt
WARNING (continued)
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Seat belts
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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 su
pport 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 vehicle not wearing a seat belt, are
thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled
way parts of the interior of the vehicle,
such as steering wheel,
dash panel, windscreen,
page 117, fig. 110
- left. The occu-
pants of a vehicle who have not fastened their seat belts may even be thrown out of the vehicle. This can result in fatal injuries. It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they will otherwise be thrown through the vehicle in an uncontr
olled manner in the event of an accident
A rear seat passenger who has not fastened the
s eat bel t i s a dang er not o nl y to hims elf
but also for those seated at the front
page 117, fig. 110
- right.
Important safety information regarding the use of seat beltsThe correct use of the seat belts cons
iderably reduces the risk of injury!
WARNING

The belt webbing must no
t be jammed in-between at any point or twisted,
or chafe against any sharp edges.
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts are
to offer their maximum protection
page 119, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”.
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 114, “Correct seated position”.

The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. specta-
cles, 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 inserted 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 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 161, “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 regula
rly to ensure they are in
good condition. If you
find seat belts which have damage to the seat belt webbing, seat belt connec- tions, 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 belts 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.
WARNING (continued)
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Seat belts
119
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
How are seat belts correctly fastened?Fastening three-point seat belts Fasten your seat be
lt before starting!
Fig. 111 Routing of belt webbing over the sh
oulders and the lap belt / Routing of belt
webbing for an expectant mother– Correctly adjust the seat and the head restraint before fastening your seat belt
 page 114, “Correct seated position”.
– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the tongue
of the lock over your chest and pelvis

.
– Insert the tongue of the lock into the 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. The
belts also block when the car accelerates,
when driving downhill 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 middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the
chest. The lap part of the belt must r
un across the hip and must never be routed
across the stomach. It must always fit snugly
fig. 111
- left. Adjust the belt
webbing as required.
The lap part of the belt should be posi
tioned as low as possible at the pelvis
of an expectant mother in order to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower abdomen
fig. 111
- right.

Always ensure that the webbing of the
seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctl
y adjusted can 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 pr
oduced in an accident and is then
suddenly held firm by the belt.
Only insert the lock tongue into the lock which is the correct one for your
seat. This will affect the protection which
the belt offers and increase the risk of
an injury.Seat belt height adjuster on the front seatsThe seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the routing of the front three-point seat belt in the area of the shoulder to match your body size. – To adjust the belt height press the heig
ht adjuster and move it up or down
 fig. 112
.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 112 Front seat: Seat belt height adjuster
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