98 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc
t ions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers .
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r
mation will a lways be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if yo u have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a lis ting o f just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt pre-tensione rs,
- fro nt airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- ad justab le steering column .
T hese ind iv idual safety features can wor k to
ge ther as a sys tem to he lp p rotec t you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot wo rk as a system if
they are not always p roper ly adjusted and
properly used!
Safet y is everybody's re sponsibilit y!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For yo ur safe ty and the safety of you r passen
gers,
befor e driving alwa ys:
"' Make s ure that all lights and signa ls are op
erati ng correctly .
"' Ma ke su re t hat the t ire p ressu re is co rrec t.
"' Mak e su re that all windows are clean and a f
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide.
"' Sec ure all luggage and other items caref ully
I:!) page 7 3.
"'Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"' Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
"' Inst ruct passe ngers to adjust the head re
st raints accord ing to the ir height .
"' Ma ke sur e to use the r igh t chi ld restraint
correc tly to protect c hild ren
¢ page 136,
Child Safety .
"'Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
I:!) page 66,
General recommendations. .,_
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten the ir
safety belts proper ly ¢
page 107 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distrac ted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
veh icle and a ll of its occupants . If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
,&..
Therefore:
.,. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by us ing a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER dr ive when your driv ing ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, ru les of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adj ust yo ur speed to road, traff ic
and weather condit ions .
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired , under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a veh icle is being used .
Drivin g Sa fely 99
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig . 107 The correct d istance betwee n drive r an d
stee ring wheel
Fig . 1 08 Co rrec t head rest raint pos it ion fo r dr ive r
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
fol low ing position:
.,. Adjust the driver 's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
<=> ,& .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatbac k so that it is
in an upright position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when yo u drive .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone
c:> fig . 107 . If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment .
.. Adjust t he steer ing wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and a irbag cover poi nts at your
chest and not at your face .
100 Driving Safely
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as
possible but no lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
t::;> fig. 108 .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 67 .
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect
ed Ly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
t::;> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
t::;> page 115.
Proper seat ing 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 recom
mend 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 whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as possible but not lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
¢ page 101.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 66.
A WARNING 1-=
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air
bag 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 po
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds 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 instru
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas
senger's knees and the lower part of 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 prop
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury 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 in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 115.
Driving Safely 101
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 109 Corre ctl y adju sted head restra int vi ewe d fro m
the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
.. Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge of the restraint is level with the top of
your head, but no lower than eye level and
so it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
c> fig . 109.
Adjusting head restraints c> page 70 .
A WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal
neck injuriy dramatically . To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve
hicle properly adjusts their head re
straint. Each head restraint must be ad
justed according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even with the
top of the person's head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the
back of to the head as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
•
•
102 Driving Safel y
must adjust the driver headrest for any
r eason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be
fore attempting to adjust the head re straint.
- Children must always be properly re
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro
pr iate for their age and s ize <=>
page 136.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated .
Improper seating posit ions can ca use serio us
inj ury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body . Imprope r seat ing pos itions reduce the
effectiveness of safety be lts and will even in
crease the risk of i njury and death by moving
the safety bel t to critical a rea s of the body .
I mpro per sea ting posit io ns also i ncrease the
ris k of serious injury and dea th when an air
bag de ploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the prope r seat ing pos ition. A drive r is
respons ible for the safety of a ll vehicle occu
pants and especially for c hildren. Therefore:
• Never allow anyone to ass ume an inco rrect
seat ing position when the ve hicle is being
used <=>.&, .
The fo llowing bullets list only some sample
positions that wi ll increase the risk of ser ious
in ju ry and deat h. Our hope is that these exam
p les w ill make you more awa re of seating po
sitions that are dangero us.
The refore, whenever the vehicle is
moving :
- never stand up in t he vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- n ever ride w ith the seatbac k reclined
- n ever lie dow n on t he rear seat
- never lean up aga inst the inst rument pa nel
- never sit o n the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never lean out the w indow -
neve r put your feet o ut the window
- neve r pu t your feet on t he instr ument pane l
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cus hion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo area
.&_ WARNING
---Im proper sea ting posit ions increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l inju ry and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always ma ke sur e that all vehi cle occ u
pa nts stay in a proper seating position
a nd ar e prop erly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
.&_ WARNING ~
A lways make sure that the knee airbag can
i nflate witho ut interference. Objects be
tween yourself and the a irbag can increase
the r isk of injury in a n accident by interfer
i ng with the way the airbag deploys or by
b eing pushed into you as the airbag de
pl oys.
- No persons (children) or animals shou ld
rid e in t he footwell in front of the pas
s enger seat. If the ai rbag dep loys, this
c an result in ser ious or fatal in juries.
- No ob jec ts of any kin d should be carried
in the footwell area in fr ont of the driv
er 's or p assenge r's se at. B ulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
pe r o r prevent proper deployment of the
airbag . Small ob jects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and inj ure you or your passenge rs.
-
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapte r exp lains why safety be lts a re nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
imp roperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci
dents . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
impa ired perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi TT Roadster has two seating posi
tions. Each seat ing pos ition has a safety be lt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improper ly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death.
- Never st rap more than one person, in
clu ding small ch ild ren, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- Never let mo re people ride in the ve hicle
t h an t he re a re safety be lts ava ilable.
Sa fety belts 107
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fe
ty belt or child restra int.
4 Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling-up.
Fi g. 1 10 Safety be lt warn ing lig ht in the instr ume nt
cl uster -enla rged
Befor e driv ing off, always :
~ Fasten your sa fe ty belt and make su re you
wear it p roperly.
~ Make s ure that yo ur passenge rs a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect childre n with a child rest raint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The wa rning light . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up w hen the ig nit ion is switched on as a
remi nder to fasten the safety belts. In addi
tion , you will hear a warning tone for a certa in
per iod of t ime .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their saf ety belts .
A WARNING
-Safety belts are the s ingle most effect ive
means ava ilable to reduce t he risk of se
rio us i nju ry and de ath in au tomobile a cci
dents . Fo r yo ur pro tection and tha t of
your passen gers, a lways correctly wear
safety belts when t he ve hicl e is moving .
- Fail ure to p ay att ent io n t o the wa rni ng
lig ht that come on , could lead to person
a l injury . •
•
108 Safety belts
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 111 Unbe lted occupa nts in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig . 11 2 The ve hicle c ras hes into t he wa ll.
The physical principles are simp le. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call th is energy ''kinetic en
ergy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doub les from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the occupants in this vehicle are not
using safety belts ¢
fig. 111, they will keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, unti l something
stops them -here, the wall¢
fig. 112 .
The same pr inc iples 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 50
km/h), the forces act ing on the body can reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1
,000 kg) or
more. At h igher speeds, these forces are even
greater.
Peop le who do not use sa fety belts are also
not a ttached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli
sion they wi ll also keep moving forward at t he
speed their vehicle was travell ing just before
the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of acc idents and col
lis ions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed . Always wear your safe ty belts!
Fig . 11 3 A driver not wea ring a safety belt is vio le n tl y
t hrown forward
Unbelted occ upants a re not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by hold ing tight
or bracing themse lves. Without the benefit of
safety restra int systems, the unrestrained oc
cupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instr ument panel, w indshield, or what
ever else is in the way ¢ fig. 113. This impact
with the veh icle i nte rior has all the energy
t h ey had j ust before the c rash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection .
Even when they deploy, a irbags provide only
additional prote ction . Airbags a re not sup
posed to deploy in all k inds of accidents. Al
t h ough your Aud i is equipped wi th airbags, all
vehicle occupants, i ncluding the driver, must
wear safety be lts cor rectly in o rder to m ini
mize the risk of severe in jury 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 vehi
cle where
even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It 's simply
not true!
Fig . 114 Driver is properly restrained in a sudden b rak
i ng ma neuve r.
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif
ference . Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles . By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy
over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable " and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
Safety belts 109
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen
tal airbags to do the ir job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with a irbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid
ed . Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be properly posi
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body .
"' Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in th is chapter.
"'Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING ~
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving
off and make sure all pas
sengers are properly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned correctly on
the body .