Safety
Safety
Saf e driv
in
g
Safety first! WARNING
● This m
anual contains important informa-
tion about the operation of the vehicle, both
for the driver and the passengers. The other
sections of the on-board documentation also
contain further information that you should
be aware of for your own safety and for the
safety of your passengers.
● Ensure that the on-board documentation is
kept in the
vehicle at all times. This is espe-
cially important when lending or selling the
vehicle to another person. WARNING
Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs,
medication or n ar
cotics may result in severe
accidents and even loss of life.
● Alcohol, drugs, medication and narcotics
may
significantly alter perception, affect re-
action times and safety while driving, which
could result in the loss of control of the vehi-
cle. Driving advice
B ef
or
e driving For your own safety and the safety of your
pa
s
sengers, always note the following points
before every trip:
– Make sure that the vehicle's lights and turn
signal
s are working properly.
– Check tyre pressure.
– Ensure that all windows provide a clear and
good v
iew of the surroundings.
– Make sure all luggage is secured
›› ›
page 110.
– Make sure that no objects can interfere
with the pedal
s.
– Adjust front seat, head restraint and rear vi-
sion mirror
s properly according to your
size.
– Ensure that the passengers in the rear
seats alw
ays have the head restraints in
the in-use position ›››
page 50.
– Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints
according to their height.
– Protect children with appropriate child
seats and pr
operly applied seat belts
››› page 63. –
Assume the c
orrect sitting position. Instruct
your passengers also to assume a proper
sitting position. ››› page 47.
– Fasten your seat belt securely. Instruct your
pas
sengers also to fasten their seat belts
properly. ››› page 51.
What affects driving safety? As a driver, you are responsible for yourself
and y
our p
assengers. When your concentra-
tion or driving safety is affected by any cir-
cumstance, you endanger yourself as well as
others on the road ››› , for this reason:
– Always pay attention to traffic and do not
g et
di
stracted by passengers or telephone
calls.
– Never drive when your driving ability is im-
paired (e.
g. by medication, alcohol, drugs).
– Observe traffic laws and speed limits.
– Always reduce your speed as appropriate
for ro
ad, traffic and weather conditions.
– When travelling long distances, take
break
s regularly - at least every two hours.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired
or stre
ssed.
46
Safety
Airbag system
Brief intr
oduction
Intr
oduction Front airbags have been installed for both
driver and p
a
ssenger. The front airbags can
also protect the chest and head of driver and
passenger if the seats, seat belts head re-
straints and, for the driver, the steering
wheel are correctly adjusted and used. Air-
bags are considered as additional safety
equipment. An airbag cannot replace the
seat belt, which must be worn at all times,
even in front seats where front airbags have
been installed.
The airbag can protect vehicle occupants in
the event of an accidents, cushioning the
movement of the occupants in the direction
of the collision in frontal and side accidents.
Deployed airbags fill with a propellant gas.
This causes the airbag covers to break and
the airbags to deploy extremely quickly in
their entire deployment space within frac-
tions of a second. When an occupant with the
seat belt properly fastened puts pressure on
the inflated airbag, the propellant gas es-
capes to absorb the force of the impact and
slow the movement. This reduces the risk of
severe or fatal injuries. Airbag deployment
does not mean that other types of injury such as swelling, bruising and skin injuries can be
rul
ed out
. Upon deployment of the airbag,
friction can cause the generation of heat.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower
part of the body.
The most important factors for triggering the
airbag are the type of accident, the angle of
impact, the vehicle speed and the character-
istics of the object the vehicle hits. Therefore,
airbags are not triggered every time the vehi-
cle is visibly damaged.
The activation of the airbag system depends
on the magnitude of the deceleration of the
vehicle caused by a collision, which registers
through an electronic control unit. If the de-
celeration magnitude value is below the ref-
erence value programmed in the control unit,
the airbags will not deploy even though seri-
ous damage might be caused to the vehicle
as the result of an accident. Damage suffered
by the vehicle, reparation costs or absence of
damage suffered from the accident are not
indications of whether an airbag should have
been deployed. Due to the varying nature of
collision situations, it is impossible to define
a speed range of the vehicle and reference
values. For this reason, it is not possible to
cover all types of collisions and collision an-
gles resulting in the deployment of the air-
bag. Factors necessary for the airbag to be
deployed can be, the characteristics of the
object (hard or soft) against which the vehi- cle collides, the collision angle and the vehi-
cle s
peed.
Airbags act in conjunction with the three-
point seat belts in certain accident situa-
tions, when the vehicle deceleration rate is
severe enough to trigger the airbags. Airbags
only deploy once and only under certain cir-
cumstances. Seat belts remain present to of-
fer protection in situations where airbags are
not triggered or where they have already de-
ployed. For example, when a vehicle hits an-
other after an initial collision or is hit by an-
other vehicle. The airbag system is an integral part of the
car's passive safety system. The airbag sys-
tem can only work effectively when the vehi-
cle occupants are wearing their seat belts
correctly and have adjusted the head re-
straints properly ››› page 47. WARNING
Never exclusively trust the airbag system as a
mean s
of protection.
● Even when triggered, airbag protection is
only aux
iliary.
● The airbags provide the best protection
when the seat belt
s are properly fastened,
thus reducing the risk of sustaining injuries
››› page 51, Why wear a seat belt? .58