2010 SKODA FABIA technical data

Passive Safety
113
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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
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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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Seat belts
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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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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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Seat belts
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
The protective function of the system is
only adequate for a single accident.
If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to replace the entire system.
The Owner's Manual must also be handed 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 indica-
tion of a fire in the vehicle.
It is essential to pay attent
ion to relevant safety regulations if the vehicle or indi-
vidual parts of the system are scrapped. Specialist garages are familiar with these regu- lations and will be able to provide you with detailed information in this respect.
When disposing of vehicle or parts of the system, it is important to comply with the
national legal requirements.
WARNING (continued)
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Airbag system
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When are the airbags deployed?The airbag system is designed in such a
way that the driver and the front passenger
airbag* are deployed in the event of a
frontal collision of major severity
.
In the case of a
violent side crash
, the side airbag* in the front seat and the head
airbag* on the side on which the collision occurs are deployed. It is also possible under certain special accident situations that the front as well as the side airbags and head airbags* are deployed at the same time. The airbags
are not deployed
in the case of
minor
frontal and side collisions, rear-end
collisions, tilting of the ve
hicle 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 ex
ample, is played by factors such as the type
of object against which the vehicle impacts (h
ard, soft), the angle of impact, the vehicle
speed 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 vehicle deceleration which occurs and is measured during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit, the airbags are no
t 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 is switched off;

a minor frontal collision;

a minor side collision;

a rear-end collision;

Rollover of the vehicle.Note

A grey white or red, 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.

In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed:  the interior lighting comes on (if the swit
ch for the interior light is in the door
contact position),  the hazard warning li
ght is switched on;
 All the doors are unlocked.
Front airbagsDescription of the front airbags The airbag system is not a su
bstitute for the seat belt!
Fig. 114 Driver airbag in the steering wheel
/ front passenger airbag in the dash panel
The front airbag for the driver is housed in the steering wheel
fig. 114
- left. The front
airbag for the front passenger* is housed in the dash panel above the storage compart- ment
fig. 114
- right. The installation positions are each marked with the “AIRBAG”
logo. The front airbag system, in combination with
three-point safety belts, offers additional
protection for the head and chest area of the driver and front passenger in the event of a frontal collision of major severity

in “Important safety information regarding
the front airbag system” on page 124. The airbag is not a substitute for the seat
belt, but is part of the complete passive
vehicle safety concept.
Please note that an airbag can only offer you optimal
protection in combination with a seat belt which is fastened
.
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Airbag system
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
It is essential to always switch off
page 128, “Deactivating airbags” 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 ch
ild 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 passenger airbags be deactivated.
When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regu
lations regarding the use of child safety seats.

There must not by any further persons, animals or objects positioned
between the front seated occupants and
the deployment area of the airbag.

The steering wheel and the surface of th
e airbag module in the dash panel
on the passenger side must not be stuck
onto, covered or modified in any other
way. These parts should only be cleaned with a dry cloth or a cloth moistened with water. No objects such as cup holders, mobile phone mounts, etc. may be attached to the covers of the airbag modules or be located within the imme- diate area.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to parts of the airbag system.
Any work on the airbag system includ
ing installing and removing system
components because of other repair wo
rk (e.g. removing the steering wheel)
must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Never carry out changes on the front bumper or on the body.

Never place any objects on the surface of the dash panel on the front
passenger side.
Side airbags*Description of side airbags The side airbag increases protection
of the passenger concerned in the
case of a side impact.The side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the front seats and are marked with the lettering “AIRBAG”
fig. 117
on the middle part.
The side airbag system in combination with the three-point seat belts, offers additional protection for the upper area of the body
(chest, stomach and pelvis) in the event of
severe side collisions

in “Important safety information on the side airbag” on
page 126. Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the
seat belts
is to also
hold the driver and front pass
enger in a correct seated position in the event of a side
collision so as to enable the side ai
rbags to offer the maximum protection.
You should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection
page 117, “Why seat
belts?”.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 117 Driver seat: Installation posi- tion of airbag
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Airbag system
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
Any work on the side airbag system including removing and installing
system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing seats) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.Head airbags*Description of the head airbags The head airbag together with the
side airbag offers enhanced occu-
pant protection in the event of a side collision.The head airbags are positioned above the d
oors on both sides in the interior of the
car
fig. 119
. The installation positions of the head airbags are each marked with the
“AIRBAG” logo. The head airbag together with the three-poin
t seat belts and the side airbags, offers
additional protection for the head and neck area of the occupants in the event of a side collision of major severity

in “Important safety information on the head airbag”
on page 128. Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the
seat belts
is to also
hold the driver and the occupants in a correc
t seated position in the event of a side
collision so as to enable the head ai
rbags to offer the maximum protection.
You should therefore always fasten the seat
belts, not only because this is required by
law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection
page 117.
Together with other elements (such as cross bars in the doors, stable vehicle structure) the head airbags are the consequent further development of occupant protection in the case of side collisions.Function of the head airbags The risk of injury to the head and ne
ck area is reduced in the event of a
side collision by fully inflated head airbags.In the case of a
side collision
the head airbag is deployed together with the relevant
side airbag on the side on which the accident occurs
fig. 120
.
If the system is deployed, the airbag is fille
d with propellant gas and covers the entire
area of the side window
including the door pillars
fig. 120
.
The protection offered by the head airbags is
thus available simultaneously both to the
front occupants of the car seated on the side
on which the collision occurs, as well as
to the rear occupants. Any impact of the he
ad against parts of the interior or objects
outside of the car, is cushioned by the in
flated head airbag. The reduction in any
impact to the head and the resultant minimi
zing of any movements of the head addi-
tionally reduce the risk of in
juries to the neck
area. In certain accide
nt situations, the
front, side and head airbag are simultaneously deployed. The airbags inflate in fractions of a second an
d at a high speed in order to be able to
offer that additional protection in the event of an accident. A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This
is perfectly normal and is not an indication
of a fire in the vehicle.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 119 Installation position of the head airbags
Fig. 120 Inflated head airbag
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