2015 AUDI S4 belt

128 Driving Safely
• 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 .
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.
- 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 165. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 144 .
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 :
• Move the front passenger seat back as far as
possible . There must be a minimum of
10 inches (25 cm) between the breastbone
and the instrument panel¢,&. .
• 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.
• Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If tha t is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this position as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 139.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 60.
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:

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-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.
- 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 165 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat <=:>
page 144.
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-
Driving Safely 129
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.,. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position <=:>
page 71.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating position, slide the center head re­
straint upward at least to the next notch.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
<=:> page 139 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in
a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
<=:> page 165.
& 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 . •
•

130 Driving Saf ely
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Appl ies to vehicles: with a djustable head restra ints
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.
F ig . 14 0 Head restrain t: viewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
• Adjust the head restraints so the uppe r edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possib le, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
c:> fig. 140.
• 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 .
Ad justing head restraints
<:>page 63.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
t al nec k injury dramat ica lly. To help reduce
t he risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the head restra ints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each pe rson in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re­
stra int. Adjust the head rest raints so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with
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.
- Never attempt to ad just 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.
- Chil dren must a lways be prope rly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
p ria te fo r their age and size
c:> page 165.
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
when they are properly positioned on the
body . Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even in­
c rease the r is k of i njury and dea th by moving
the safety be lt to cr itical are as of the body.
Improper seating posi tions a lso increase the
risk of serio us injury and death when an air­
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 and espec ially for children. Therefore :
• Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
c:> ,& .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le
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:
- neve r stand up i n the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the sea tback reclined
- neve r lie down o n the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel ..,.

136 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 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.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and (on USA models only) front seat
passenger to remind you about the impor­
tance of buckling-up .
F ig. 142 Safety belt warni ng lig ht in the instrument
cluster -en larged
Before driv ing off, always :
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make sure that your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect your children wit h a child restraint
system approp riate fo r the size and age of
t he children.
The . war ning light i n the instrument clus­
ter lights up when the ig nition is switched on
as a rem inder to fasten the safety belts. In ad­
dition, you will hear a warning tone fo r a cer­
ta in pe riod of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure
that your pa ssenger s also prope rly put on
their safety belts.

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Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 143 Unbelted occupant s in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 144 The vehicle c ras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies with vehicle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this 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 doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not
using safety belts
r::;, fig. 143, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until something
stops them -here, the wall
c:> fig . 144.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to
50 km/h) , the forces acting on the body can Safety belts
13 7
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even
higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli­
sion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and col ­
lisions .
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!
Fig. 145 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is vio lently
thrown forward
Fig.
146 A rear passeng er not wearing a safety belt
w ill fly forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam violently into the steer ing
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way ¢ fig. 145 . This impact Ill-

138 Safet y belt s
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotec tion.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
addit io nal p rotection . Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with a irbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to min i­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy on ly
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 a lready deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle whe re even more severe o r fatal in juries
can occu r.
It is also impo rtant for the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the re ar seats end anger no t on ly them­
selves but a lso the d river a nd other passen­
gers ~
fig. 146. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violent ly, where they can
h it and injure the dr iver 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!
F ig . 14 7 Driver is co rrectly re st ra ined in a s udden b rak ·
i n g m an euve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety be lts he lp 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
ca use serio us in juries . In addition, safety be lts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety be lts 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
"abso rbing" t he kinetic energy over a longer
per iod of t ime, the safety belts make the
forces o n the body more " tolerable" and less
l ikely to ca u se inju ry.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
ta l co llision, saf ety belts can a lso substantia l­
ly red uce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
cr ashes. So, whether you're on a long t rip o r
j u st going to the corner store, a lways buckle
u p and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that veh icle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of be ing
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety be lts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
tal airbags to do the ir job i n a collision. Fo r
t hi s reason, wea ring a safety belt is legally re­
quired in mos t countr ies includi ng mu ch of
t h e Un ited States and C anada .
Althoug h your Aud i is equipped with a irbags,
you still have to wear the safety be lts prov id­
ed . F ront ai rbags, fo r example , a re ac tivated
o nly in some front al coll isions. The fron t air­
bags are not act ivated in a ll fron tal collis ions,
in side and rear co llisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front o f the veh icle.
The same goes for the other a irbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt and make su re everybody in your veh icle is
properly restrai ned !

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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 d riv­
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 part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi ­
tion . Safety belts
139
- 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 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.
- 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 you rs elf .
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel¢
ta­
ble Cleaning interior on page 204.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 148 B elt buckle and to ngue o n the driver's se at

140 Safety belts
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body .
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly ¢
page 60, Seats and storage .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place befo re using the belt¢.&, .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even-
ly across the chest and pelvis¢.&, .
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢fig . 148.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat­
ic belt retractor on the shoulder belt . This fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during 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 be lt pre­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac ­
tivated. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light¢
page 20 .
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking re­
tractor 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 ¢
page 175.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
¢ page 140, Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
-
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt 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 the safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat. Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
belt 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 177.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to gett ing
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 149 Safety bel t position
Standard features on your vehicle help you ad ­
just the position of the safety belt to match
your body size.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- automatic belt height adjustment for the
rear seats .