.. Make sure to use the right child rest raint
correct ly to protect children
Q page 173,
Child Safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 52,
General recommendations .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 138.
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 distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
veh icle and all of its occupants.
If your ability
to drive is impai red, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
A.
Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc .).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traff ic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when 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 vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 129
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 144 Correct seat ing pos it ion
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
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢.&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
Q fig. 144. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive
equipment .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. App lies to veh icles with adjustable head re
s tra ints: Ad just the head restraint so the up
per 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 pos it ion as possible. Move the
head restra int so that it is as close to the
back of the head as poss ible. .,.
130 Driving Safely
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
9 page 141.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
t imes.
Fo r detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<=>page 53.
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 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
edly 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
<=> page 173. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c:> page 147.
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 w ith 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 132. Move
the head restraint so that it is as close to the
back of the head as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
th e front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
<=> page 141.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
9 page 52.
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.
- 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
r::, page 173. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 147.
Driving Safely 131
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 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:
.,.. 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 132 .
.,.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
.,.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 141 .
.,.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro
priate for their size and ager::,
page 173.
_& 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 safety belts are properly
positioned on the body and securely
latched . By not sitting upright, a rear
seat passenger increases the risk of per
sonal injury from improperly positioned
safety belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.
•
•
132 Driving Safel y
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 . 145 H ead restraint: viewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
i,.. For adjustable head restraints: 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 re
stra int so that it is as close to this position
as possible ¢
fig. 145. Move the head re
stra int so that it is as close to the back of
the head as possible .
i,.. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re
stra int upward at least to the next notch.
Adjust ing head restraints¢
page 55.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints tha t are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser io us or fa
tal neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and proper ly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the vehicle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Always make su re each pe rson in the ve
hicle proper ly adjusts the ir head re
straint . Ad just the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with the top of yo
ur head. If that is not possi
ble, t ry to ad just the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos
sible. Move the head rest raint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and m ust adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be
fore at tempting to a djust the head re
straint.
- Ch ild ren mus t always be prope rly re
s trained in a child rest rain t that is appro
p ria te fo r their age and size ¢
page 173.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle o ccupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions ca n cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only wo rk
whe n they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the p roper s eating position. A dr iver is
r esponsible fo r the safety of all veh icle occu
pants and espe cially for child ren. The re fore:
i,.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢& .
The following bullet ins list o nly some sample
pos itions that will increase the r isk of serious
injury and death. Our hope is that t hese exam
ples will make yo u more aware o f seat ing po
s it ions tha t are dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand u p in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
-never knee l on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument pa nel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never lean out the window
- never put yo ur feet out the window
- never put yo ur feet o n the ins trumen t pa nel
- never rest you r feet on the seat cushion o r
back of the seat
- never r ide in the footwe ll
- never r ide in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imprope r seat ing positions increase the
r is k of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that a ll vehicle occu
pants stay in a p ro per seat ing pos it ion
and are properly restra ined whenever the
vehicle is be ing used .
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
Appl ies to vehicles: with knee a irbags
A WARNING
Always make s ure that the knee ai rbag can
inf late without interfe rence. Objects be
tween yourse lf and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an acc ident by interfer
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
being p ushed into you as the airbag de
ploys.
- No persons (ch ildren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
c an res ult in serious or fata l injuries.
- No objects of any k ind sho uld be car ried
in the footwell area in fron t of the driv
er's or passenger's seat. Bul ky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
per or prevent p roper deployment of the
airbag. Small objects can be thrown
Dr iving Safel y 133
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and in jure you or your passengers.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make sure that a ll peda ls move free ly without
i nterfe rence and that nothing prevents them
from return ing to their orig inal positions.
Only use floor mats that leave t he pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten
ers .
If a brake circ uit fai ls, increased brake pedal
trave l is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that ca nnot move free ly can cause
loss of vehicle control and incr ease the risk
of ser ious injury.
- Never p lace any objec ts in the drive r's
footwell. An ob je ct cou ld get into the
pedal area a nd inte rfe re wi th pedal fun c
tion. In case of sudde n brak ing o r an a c
cident, yo u wou ld not be a ble to brake or
accelerate!
- Always ma ke su re th at nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fas teners and do
not in terfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
.,. Ma ke s ure t hat the floor ma ts are prope rly
secured an d cannot move and interfere wi th
the peda ls ~ _& .
Use only floor mats tha t leave the peda l area
u nobstru cte d a nd th at are firmly secured so
that they cannot slip o ut o f position. You can
II>
•
•
134 Driving Safel y
obtain suitable floor mats from your
authorized Audi Dealer.
Fl oor mat fasteners a re installed in you r Audi .
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at
tached to these fasteners . Properly secur ing
the floo r mats will p revent them from s liding
i nto pos itions tha t could inte rfe re wi th t he
pedals or impair safe operation o f your vehi cle
in other ways.
A WARNING
Pedals t hat cannot move freely can resu lt
in a loss of veh icle contro l and increase the
r isk of serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place o r insta ll floo r mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering w it h
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of a lready insta l
led floor mats . Additional floor mats and
other cove rings w ill reduce the si ze of
the pedal area and in terfere with the
peda ls.
- Always properly rei nstall and se cu re floor
mats that h ave been take n out for clean
ing.
- Always make su re th at ob je cts canno t
fa ll into the driver fo otwe ll wh ile the ve
hicle is moving . Objects can become
t rapped under t he b rake pedal and accel
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
partment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
sh ift suddenly, changing veh icle hand ling characteristics. Loose items can a
lso inc rease
t h e risk of serious persona l injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuve r o r i n a co llision .
.. Dis trib ute the load even ly in the luggage
compa rtment .
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as fa r
forward as possible .
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs prov id
ed
¢ page 63, Luggage compartment .
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Imp roperly stored luggage or other items
can fly t hro ugh the vehi cle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
i ng or an accident . To help reduce the risk
of ser ious personal in ju ry:
- Always put o bjects, fo r example, luggage
or other heavy items in t he luggage com
pa rtment.
- Always secure o bjects in the luggage
compa rtment using the tie-down hoo ks
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
-
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve-
hi cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
l oss of cont ro l leading to serious personal
in Jury :
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects , tha t a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
poss ible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We igh t Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle We ight Ratin g
specif ied on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and hand le diffe rently.
- Please observe information on safe dr iv
ing¢
page 128.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win dows, the power roof* and the rear 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.
Gj) Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open .
-
Driving Safely 135
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended 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 manufactured. For recommended tire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
~page 244.
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 134, 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.
A 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
.
•
•
138 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safe ty bel ts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts are nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci
dents . For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving .
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns m ust also use safety
belts . Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . 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 wea ring safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases the risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe
ty belt or child restra int.
t Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod
els only) to remind you abou t the impor tance
of buckling-up .
Fi g. 146 Safety bel t warni ng lig ht in the inst rum ent
cl uster -en lar ged
Before driv ing off, alway s:
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure th at your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect childre n w ith a child restraint sys-
tem app ropriate for the s ize and age .
The warn ing light . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up when the ignit ion is on as a rem inder
to fasten the safety belts . In addit ion, you will
hear a wa rning tone for a ce rtain per iod of
t ime .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your pass eng ers also properly put on the ir
s afety belt s.
A WARNING .....=-
-Safety b elts are the s ingle most eff ect ive
means availa ble to reduce t he ri sk of se
rio us inju ry and de ath in au tomobile acci
dents. Fo r yo ur protection and that of
your passengers , a lways cor rectly wear
safety belts when t he vehicle is moving .