2011 AUDI A3 belt

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& WARNING (continued)
• Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or
place any part of your body too close to the area where the airbags
are located.
• Before driving, always adjust the front seats and head
restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are properly
restrained.
• Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving. Your seat
may move unexpectedly and you could lose control of the vehicle.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position. • Children must always ride in child safety seats~
page 167.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 145. •
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the seat
for the front passenger to the following position:
- Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in an upright
position and your back comes in full contact with it when­
ever the vehicle is moving.
- Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is as even as
possible with the top of your head. If that is not possible,
try to adjust the head restraint so that it is as close to this
position as possible=>
page 128.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly::::>
page 139.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's seat,
see ~
page 73.
& WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too
close to the airbag can be seriously injured or killed by the airbag
as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Passengers must always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to
the airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even increase the risk of injury in a crash.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
II>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

• ....__D_ r_iv _i_ n_, g=-- S_ a _ f_e _,Ly _ ______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• Children must always ride in child safety seats=> page 167.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat=>
page 145. •
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both feet on
the floor consistent with their physical size and be prop­
erly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect seating
position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an
accident, your passengers on the rear bench seat must
always observe the following :
- If there are passengers in the rear seat, slide the head
restraints upward at least to the next notch on the occu­
pied seats =>
page 78.
-Make sure that the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position =>
page 81.
-Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts properly=>
page 139.
-Make sure that children are always properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
=>
page 167.
& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the rear seat can be seri­
ously injured in a crash.
& WARNING (continued)
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the seatback
is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
• Always adjust the head restraint properly so that it can give
maximum protection. •
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore an important part
of your vehicle 's occupant restraint system and can help
to reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 123 Head
restraint: viewed from
the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to achieve the
best protection.
- Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is as even as
possible with the top of your head. If that is not possible,
try to adjust the head restraint so that it is as close to this
position as possible=> fig . 123. .,

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- If there are passengers in the rear seat , slide the head
restra ints u pward at least to the next notch on the occu­
p ied seats .
Adjusting head restraints ~ page 77.
& WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with head restraint s that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious o r fatal neck
injury dramatic ally . To help reduce the ri sk of injury:
• Always drive with the head rest raints in place and prope rly
adju sted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a prope rly adjusted head
restraint .
• Always make sure each per son in the vehicle properly adjusts
their head restraint. Adjust the head restraints so the upp er edge
is as even a s possible with the top of you r head . If that is not
possible, try to adjust the head re straint so that it is as close to
this position as possible.
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and mu st adjust the driver headrest for any reason,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adjust th e head
restraint.
• Children must alway s be properly restrained in a child re straint
that is appropriate for their age and size~
page 167. •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant r estraint system con only reduce th e risk o f
injury if vehicle occupants ore properly seated.
Improper seat ing positio ns can cause se rious injury o r death.
Safety belts can only work w hen t hey are properly posi tione d
on t he body . Improper seating positio ns re duce the effective-
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
ness of s
afe ty belts an d wi ll even increase the risk of injury
and deat h by moving the safety b elt to c rit ica l areas of t he
bo dy. Imp roper seating pos itions also i ncrease the risk of
serious inju ry and dea th w hen an ai rbag deploys a nd strikes
an occ upant who is not in t he proper seati ng pos ition . A
d river is respons ib le for t he safety o f all vehicle occupants
and especia lly for ch ildren. Therefore:
- Nev er a llow anyone to assume an incorrect seating pos i-
t io n whe n the vehic le is bei ng used=> &.
The follow ing b ulletins list only some samp le posi tions that will
increase the risk of se rious injury and death . O ur hope is that these
examples will ma ke you more aware o f seating positions t hat are
dange ro us.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving:
• never stand up in the vehicle
• never stand on the seat s
• never knee l on t he seats
• never ride with the seatback reclined
• never lie down on the rear se at
• never lean up against the instrument panel
• never sit o n the edge of the seat
• never sit s ideways
• never lean out the w indow
• never p ut yo ur fee t out the window
• never p ut yo ur feet on the instrument panel
• never rest your feet on the seat c ush io n or back of the seat
• never ride in the footwe ll
• never ride in the cargo area
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Safety belts Ill
----------------
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions: two in the front and
three in the rear . Each seating position has a safety belt .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing
safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light t
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger ( on USA models only) to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 125 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster·
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly .
IJ,-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Safety belts pn, _______________ _
-Make sure that your passengers also buckle up a nd prop ­
erly wear their safety belts .
- Protect c hildren with a child rest raint system appropria te
fo r the size and ag e.
The warn ing light ~ in the instrument cluster lights up when the igni­
tion is sw itched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion, you w ill hear a wa rning tone for a certa in period of t im e.
Fasten your safety belt and ma ke sure that your passenge rs also
properly put on their safety belt s.
& WARNING
• Safety belts are the singl e most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile a cci­
dents . For your protection and that of your pas senger s, always
co rrectly wear safety belts when the vehicle is mo ving .
• Failure to pay attention to the warning light that come on,
could lead to personal injur y.
u
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very stron g forc es for people
riding i n vehi cles.
Fig . 12 6 U nbelted
o ccupa nts in a vehicle
h eadin g for a w all
Fig . 127 The ve hicle
cr as hes int o t he w all
T he p hys ica l pr inc iples are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen­
gers possess energy which var ies wit h veh icle speed and body weight.
Enginee rs ca ll t his ene rgy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the veh icle and the greater the vehicle's
we ight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sig nifican t fa ctor. If t he speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times! .,

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=> page 136, fig. 126, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops them
- here, the wall =>
page 136, fig. 127.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is
involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to SO km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000
lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash . Of course,
the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they deter­
mine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.•
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig. 128 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Fig. 129 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way=> fig. 128. This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not supposed
to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is equipped
with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver, must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of severe injury or
death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the vehicle
where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly. Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers=> fig . 129. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to brace the
body in a minor collision . It's simply n ot true!
F ig . 1 30 Driv er is
c o rr ect ly res trai ned i n
a su dden bra kin g
m ane uver
Safety belts used prope rly can make a big difference. Safety belts
help to keep passengers in their sea ts, gradually reduce energy leve ls
applied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the uncontrolled
movement that can cause serious injuries . In add it io n, safety bel ts
red uce the danger of be ing t hrown out of the vehicle.
Sa fety be lts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit of
being slowed down mo re gently or "softly" through the "give" i n the
safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered into
t oday 's vehicle s. By "absorb ing" the kine tic e nergy over a lo nger
period of time, the safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerable" and less likely to ca use inju ry.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can a lso s ubstantially red uce the risk of i nju ry in other kinds of
cr ashes . So, whet he r you're on a long trip or just going to the corner
store, always b uckle up and make sure others do , too. Accident statis­
t ic s show that vehi cle occupan ts properly wea ring safety belts have a
lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of surviv ing an
a cc iden t. Properly usi ng s afe ty belts also greatly in cre ases the ability
of the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a collision. For this
reaso n, wea ring a sa fety belt is lega lly req uired in mos t countries
including much of the Un ited States and Canada . Altho
ugh your Audi is equ ipped with a irbags, you still have to wear
t he s afe ty belts provided. Fron t air bags, for ex ample, are a ctiv ate d
only in some fronta l collisions . T he front a irbags a re not act ivated in
all frontal co llisions, in s ide and rear coll isio ns, in roll overs or in cases
where there is not enough decelerat ion thro ugh impact to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the other airbag systems in yo ur
Audi. So, always wea r you r safety be lt and make su re everybody in
your vehicle is proper ly restrained!
Important safety Instructions about safety
belts
Safety b elts must always be correctly positioned across
the strongest bones of your body.
- Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter.
- Make sure that your safety belts are always ready for use and are not damaged.
& WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts o r wearing them improperly inc reases
the risk of s eriou s personal injury and death . Safety belts can work
only when u sed correctl y.
• Alway s fasten your safety belts correctly bef ore driving off and
make sure all passengers are corre ctly restrained.
• For ma ximum protection , safety belts must alw ays be posi ­
ti oned properly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person , including small children ,
into any belt .
• Never place a safety belt o ver a ch ild sitting on your lap .
• Alway s keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
~

& WARNING (continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct
positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 217,
"Safety belts". •
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 131 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 73 , "General recommendations" .
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt =>& .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>& . _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data