2012 AUDI A3 child seat

104 Driving Safel y
• Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
• Make sure to use the right child restra int
correct ly to protect children<=>
page 143 ,
Child Safe ty .
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
you r passenge rs do the same<=>
page 61 ,
General recomm endations .
• Fasten your safety bel t an d wear it properly.
Also ins truc t you r passengers to f aste n t heir
sa fety belts properly<=>
page 113 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving i s directly rela ted to the condi ­
t ion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver 's abili ty to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsib le fo r the s afety of the
ve hicl e an d all of i ts occupants . If you r ability
to d rive is impai red, safety r is k s for everybody
i n the vehicle increase and yo u also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road <=>
&_.
Therefore:
• Do no t let yo urself be dist racted by passen ­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER drive when yo ur dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol , drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws , rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS adjust you r speed to road , traff ic
and weathe r con dit ions .
• Take frequent b reaks on long t rips. Do not
dr ive for more than two hours a t a str etch .
• Do NOT drive whe n you are t ired , 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.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
t ant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fi g. 1 17 Correc t seat ing posit ion
For yo ur own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust t he driver's seat to the
fo llow ing pos ition:
• Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keepi ng your knee(s) slightly bent
¢ &_ .
• Adjust the a ngle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full conta ct w ith it when you d rive.
• Adjust t he steer ing whee l so that there is a
d is tance of at least 1 0 inches (2 5 cm) be ­
t ween the steer ing whee l and yo ur breast
bone
~ fig. 117. I f not possible, see your a u­
thorized A udi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that t he steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover poi nts at your
ch est and not a t your face .
• Grasp the top of the s teer ing wh ee l with
your elb ow(s) slightly ben t.
• Adjust t he head rest ra in t so t he up per edge
is as even as poss ible wi th th e top of y our
head . If that is not possi ble, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le .
• Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
<=>page 116.

~ 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 62, Adjusting front
seats manually
or ¢ page 63, Adjusting the
power seat .
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. 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 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 de­
ploys .
- 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
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
Driving Safely 105
- 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 safety
seats ¢
page 143. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 122.
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 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 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 107.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 116.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 61.
A WARNING
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.
-
•
•

106 Driving Safely
-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.
- 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 safety
seats ¢
page 143 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c::> page 122.
Proper seating positions for passenge rs
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas­
sengers 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 occupied seats
¢ page 65.
.. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position
c::> page 67 .
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c::> page 116.
.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
c::> page 143.
A WARNING .,__
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- 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 protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed 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 h ead restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant r e­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
F ig. 118 Hea d re str ain t: v ie w ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
,.. Adjust the head restrai nts so the upper
edge is as even as poss ible with the top of
your head. If that is not possib le, try to ad­
just the head restraint so that it is as close to this position as possib le
q fig. 118.
"'" If there are passengers in the rear seat,
s li de the head restra in ts upward at least to
the next notch on the occup ied seats .
Ad justing head restraints¢
page 65.
A WARNING
Driv ing with out head restraints or w ith
head restraints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of serious o r fatal
neck injury d ramatically. To help reduce
the risk of inj ury:
- Always drive wit h the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Always make sure each person in the ve ­
hicle p roperly adjus ts thei r head r e­
st raint. Ad just t he head rest raints so t he
upper edge is as even as possi ble w it h
the top of your head. If tha t is not possi­
ble, try to adjus t the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos ­
sible.
-
Dr iving S afel y 107
-Never attempt to adj ust head restraint
while driving. I f you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
s traint .
- Ch ild ren must a lways be properly re ­
s trained i n a child rest ra int that is ap pro­
priate fo r their age and size ¢
page 143.
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 positions can cause serious
injury or death . Safety belts can only work
whe n they are properly positioned on the
body . Improper s eating positions red uce the
effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even in­
c rease the r is k of i njury and dea th by mov ing
the safety be lt to crit ica l areas o f the body .
Improper seating positions a lso increase t he
risk of serio us inju ry and death when an a ir­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating posit ion. A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu­
pants a nd espec ially for children. The refo re:
"'" Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢_&. .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le
pos itions that will increase the risk of serio us
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seating po ­
s itions tha t are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down o n the rear se at
- neve r lean up against the ins trumen t panel
- neve r sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
•
•
...

110 Driving Safely
&_ WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­dows, the power roof* and the read lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load -see the tire pressure sticker on the
fuel filler door.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. On USA vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B-pillar. On Canada vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located either on
the driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel
filler flap. The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its maximum
capacity weight and the tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manu­
factured. For recommended tire pres­
sures for normal load conditions, please
see chapter ¢
page 216.
-
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
¢ page 109, Loading the luggage com ­
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
&_ WARNING ~
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­ ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment .
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-down.

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, 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.
A 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 se­
rious 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.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding 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.
Safety belts 113
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig. 120 Safety belt warning light in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly.
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a
reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion, you will hear a warning tone for a certain period of time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious 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.
•
•

116 Safety belts
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned 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.
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 correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person , in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­ ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- 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 ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing 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 dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i­
tion . -
Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere 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 latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If web­
bing, bindings, buck les, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au ­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- 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 . Replace­
ment 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.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inert ia reel
c:> page 187, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 126 B elt buck le and to ngue o n th e drive r's sea t

To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body .
... Adjust the front seat and head restra int
properly
c::> page 61, General recommenda­
tions .
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt
c::> ,&. .
... Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
c::> ,&..
... Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latch securely
c::> fig. 126.
... Pull on t he be lt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retractor on the shoulder be lt. This fea­
ture locks the be lt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac­
tivated. The funct ion of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c::> page 16.
Sw itchable locking feature
E very safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read the important information about this
feature
c::> page 152.
A WARNING
Imprope rly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
o::> page 117, Safety belt position.
-Safety belts offer optimum protect ion
only when the seatback is upright and
Safety belts 11 7
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used. If the backrest is not securely latched, the passenger w ill move for­
ward with the backrest during sudden
braking, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a crash .
- Never attach th e safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat . Atta ching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt
effectiveness and can cause ser ious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrain ­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself when it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re­
tractor when you are securing a child safety seat in the vehicle
c::> page 154.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 1 27 Head restra int and safety belt pos it ion as
see n from the s ide
ill
q :r ... CD
Standard features on your vehicle he lp you ad ­
just the position of the safety belt to match
your body size.
- be lt h eight adjustment for the front seats,
- automatic belt height adjustment for the
rear seats .