2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET belt

128 Driving safety
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
9page 141.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
t ime s.
Fo r detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
<=>page 61 .
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 properly and make sure that all
passengers are properly restrained. -
For adjustable head restraints: before
driving, always also adjust the head re­
straints properly.
- 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 169. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat <=>
page 146.
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.
• For ad justab le head restra ints: 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 ­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible <=>
page 130 . Move the head re­
straint so that it is as close to the back of
the head as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
<=> page 141.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
<=> page 60. ...

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A WARNING ,~ ~
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of posit ion or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or k illed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the r isk of
ser ious personal inju ry:
- Passengers must always s it in an upr ight
posit ion and never lean against o r place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sit ion or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
f olds with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at leas t
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment pane l.
- 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 m ust always s it on a seat
of the ir own and properly fasten and
wea r the safety belt be long ing to that
seat .
- Before driv ing, a lways adjust the front
passenger seat properly .
- For adjustable head restraints : before
dr iv ing, always a lso adjust the head re­
straints properly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor 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 w ill not be ab le to protec t you prop ­
e rl y and can even incre ase the ris k of in ­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive wi th the backrest recl ined o r
t il ted far bac k! T he farther the backrests
are t ilted back , the greater the ris k of in ­
jury d ue to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 169. Special precautions apply
Dri ving s afe ty 129
when instal ling a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 146.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear sea t passengers mus t sit uprigh t wi th
both fee t on the floor consistent wi th 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 posit ion in the event of a sudde n
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas ­
sengers on the rear bench sea t must always
obse rve the following:
... For ad justab le head restra ints: adjust the
head restra int so the uppe r edge is as even
as poss ible with the top of your head . If that
is not poss ible, try to adjus t the head re­
s tr aint so that it is as close to this position
as poss ible
¢ page 130 .
... Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
... Fasten and wea r safety be lts proper ly
¢ page 141 .
... Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
pr iate for the ir size and age
¢ page 169.
A WARNING
Passengers w ho are imp roperly seated on
the rea r seat can be se rio usly in jured in a
cr ash.
- Each passenge r must always si t on a seat
of their own and properly fa sten and
wear the safe ty belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only o ffer maximum pro tec­
tion when the sa fety belts are properly
positioned on the body and securely
latched. By not sitting upr ight, a rear
seat passenger increases the r is k of per­
sonal injury from imp roperly pos itioned
safety belts!
- For ad justab le head restra ints: always
ad just the head restraint properly so that
it can g ive maximum protect ion .
•
•
•

130 Driving safety
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to vehicles: with adj ustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore on im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re­
straint system and con help to reduce the risk of injuries in occident situations.
Fig. 124 H ead re str ain t: vi ew ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection .
.. Adjust the head restr aint 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
c:> fig . 124.
.. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating position, slide the center head re­
stra int upward at least to the next notch .
Ad justing head restraints
c:> page 62.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Dr iving without head restraints or
with head restraints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of serious or fa­
t al neck injury dramat ically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restra ints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraint so the
upper edge is as even as possible wit h
the top of your head.
If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restra int so that
it is as close to this posit ion as pos­
sible. Move the head restraint 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
must adjust the driver headrest for any reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint .
- Ch ildren must always be prope rly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
p ria te for their age and size
¢ page 169.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore
properly seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce the
effect iveness of safety belts and wi ll even in­
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety be lt to critica l areas of the body .
Imprope r seating positions a lso increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position . A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu­
pants and espec ially for children . T herefore :
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
c:> . &.
The following bulletins list only some sample
pos itions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death . Our hope is that these exam ­
ples will make you more aware of seat ing po­
s itions that are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined

138 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains 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 four seating positions: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat­
ing position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases th e 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 about the importance
of buckling-up .
Fi g. 130 Safety belt warni ng light in the instrument
cluster -en larged
Before driv ing off, alway s:
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make s ure that 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 clus­
ter lights up when the ign ition is on as a re­
minder to fasten the safety be lts. In addition,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a ce rtai n pe ri­
od of t ime.
Fasten you r 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 avai lable to reduce t he ri sk of se­
rio us inju ry and de ath in au tomobile a cci­
dents. Fo r you r protection and that of
your passengers, a lways cor rectly wear
safety belts when t he vehicle is moving .

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-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 1 31 Unb elt e d oc cupan ts in a ve hicle h ead ing for a
wall
Fig. 132 T he vehicle c ras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
veh icle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy."
T he 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 doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the ene rgy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of th is veh icle are not
using safety belts
c:::;, fig. 131, they will keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just befo re the crash, unt il something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 132 .
Safety belts 139
The same principles apply to people s itting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal coll ision .
Even at c ity 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 fo rces are even
highe r.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle . In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was travel ling just before
the crash . Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens i n all k inds of a cc ident s and col­
li s 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 safety belts!
Fi g. 1 33 A drive r not wear ing a safety bel t is v io len tly
t hrown forward
Fig . 1 34 A rear pa sse nger not wearing a safety be lt
w ill fl y forw ar d a nd str ike t he dr ive r
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restra int systems, the unrestra ined ..,_

140 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 133. This imp act
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize 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 vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers ~
fig. 134. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
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. 135 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve 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 tha t 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 ti me, 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 r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle 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 their 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 airbags,
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 no t enough decelera tion
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!

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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 be lts 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 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 dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi ­
tion .
Safety belts 141
-Severa l 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 requ ired 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, buckles, 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 bel ts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel~
ta­
ble Internal cleaning on page 206.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 136 Bel t b uckle and to ngue on the drive r's seat

142 Safet y belt s
To provide maximum protection, sa fety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body .
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restr aint
properly ¢
page 60, Front seats .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched in place befo re using the belt¢.&, .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
l y across the chest and pelvis¢.&, .
.,. Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of
you r seat until you hea r it latch securely
¢ fig . 136.
.,. Pull on the be lt to m ake s ure th at it is se-
curely latched in the b uckle .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is eq uipped w ith an automat­
ic belt retractor on the shoulder be lt . T his fea­
ture locks the be lt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard bra king and in an acci dent.
The belt may also lock when yo u drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely .
Safety belt pret ensioners
The sa fe ty belts are equippe d wi th a be lt pre­
tensioner that helps to tigh ten the safety bel t
and remove s lack when the pretensioner is ac ­
tivated ¢
page 144. The function of the pre­
tensioner is monitored by a warning light
¢page 20.
Convert ible locking ret ractor
E very sa fe ty belt except the one on the dr iver
seat is eq uipped with a convertib le locking re­
tractor that
must be used when the safety
be lt is used to attach a child seat. Be s ure to
read the important information about this
feature ¢
page 180 .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
¢ page 142, Safety bel t p osition.
- Saf ety belts offe r optim um pro te ction
only wh en the seatba ck is upr ight and be
lts are properly posit ioned on the
body.
- Never attach the safety be lt to the buck­
le for another seat. Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt
effectiveness and can cause serious per ­
sonal injury .
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by t he safety
be lt itse lf w hen it moves from the stro n­
ge r parts of the body into cr itica l areas
like the abdomen .
- Always lock the conve rtible locking re­
tracto r when you are secu ring a child
seat in t he ve hicl e¢
page 182.
© Tips
Fo r information on safety belt pretens ion­
ers, refer to¢
page 144.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 137 Safet y bel t pos it ion
Stan dard fea tures o n your veh icle he lp yo u ad ­
ju st the pos ition o f th e safety be lt to ma tch
your body s ize .
- he ight-adjus table fron t seats.
A WARNING
Imp ro pe rl y pos it io ned safety be lts ca n
cause ser ious perso nal injury in an a cci­
dent.
-
- T he s hou lder be lt should lie as close to
the center o f the collar bone as possible
an d should fit well on the body. Hol d the
~