2010 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR Columbus Navigation System Manual

Communication
96
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Passive Safety97
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 limiter for front seats*,

belt tensioner for front seats*,

seat belt height adjuster for front seats,

front airbags*,

side airbags*,

anchoring points for child seat using the “ISOFIX” system,

head restraint 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.

Ensure that all the windows offer a good visibility to the outside.

Safely attach the items of luggage page 63, “Loading the luggage compartment”.
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
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 115, “Transporting children safely”.

Adopt the correct seated position page 98, “Correct seated position”. Also
inform your occupants to adopt the correct seated position.

Fasten the seat belt correctly. Also inform your occupants to properly fasten the
seat belts page 104, “How are seat belts 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 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 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.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. 106 .

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. 106 The correct distance of
the driver from the steering
wheelFig. 107 The correct head
restraint adjustment for the
driver
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Passive Safety99
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data

Adjust the seat backrest so that you ar e 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 98, fig. 107 .

Fasten the seat belt correctly page 104, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
Manual driver se at adjustment page 56, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical driver seat adjustment page 57, “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 98, fig. 106. 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.

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!

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 safety when an airbag is deployed.For the safety of the front passenger and to re duce 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 98, fig. 107.

Fasten the seat belt correctly page 104, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass enger airbag can be deactivated page 113,
“Deactivating an airbag”.
Manual front passenger adjustment page 56, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment page 57, “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 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 event of an accident. If an airbag
is deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated
position!
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
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 seat 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 98, fig. 107 .

Fasten the seat belt correctly page 104, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.

If you are transporting page 115, “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 not 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 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 the 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, however 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 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 Safety101
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 occupants
to adopt the correct seated position and not to change this seated position
while the car is moving.
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Seat belts
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Seat beltsWhy seat belts?It is a proven fact that seat belts offer good protection in accidents fig. 108 . 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. 108 . 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 103. It is important that you pay attention to
safety measures, particularly when trans-
porting children in the vehicle page 115, “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 104, “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.
Fig. 108 Driver wearing seat belt
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Seat belts103
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
The physical principle of a frontal collisionThe physical principle of a frontal ac cident 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 accident. 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 long
er 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, occupant s 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, da sh panel, windscreen, fig. 109 . The occupants 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 seat belt is a danger not only to himself
but also for those seated at the front fig. 110 .
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 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 104, “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 98, “Correct seated position”.
Fig. 109 The driver is catapulted
forward if not wearing a beltFig. 110 The rear seat occupant
is catapulted forward if not
wearing a belt
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