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Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the fea
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in
terest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep the complete Owner's Litera
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and passengers.
-Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re
straint system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in tech
nology have made a variety of features available
to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
Driving safety
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of accidents. These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care
f1,1/ driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside.
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
qpage 62.
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re
straints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor
rectly to protect children
¢ page 150, Child
safety.
.,. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
q page 57, Seats
and storage.
Ill>
111
Driving safety
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly . Al
so instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety be lts properly ¢
page 122.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver 's abili
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis
tracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve
h icle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢.&, .Therefore :
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
• NEVER drive when your driving ability is im
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
• Observe all traff ic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense .
• AL WAYS ad just you r speed to road, traffic and
weathe r cond itions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not d rive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres
s u re or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal injury and death whe never a
vehicle is being used .
112
.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 128 Co rrect seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the drive r's seat to the following
pos ition:
• Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent¢.&, .
• Ad just the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t with it when you dr ive.
• Ad just the steer ing wheel so that t here is a d is
t ance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steer ing whee l and your breast bone ¢
fig. 128.
If not possible, see your authorized A udi dealer
about adaptive equipment.
• Ad just the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at yo ur face .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing wheel with your
elbow(s) sligh tly bent.
• App lies to veh icles with adjustable hea d re
s trai nts: Adjus t 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 ad just the
head restraint so that it is as close to this pos i
tion as possible .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢ page 125.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at a ll times .
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For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 58.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re
duce 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 breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi
tions to help reduce the r isk of personal in
jury 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. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must a lways ride in child safety
seats¢
page 150. Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat ¢
page 130.
Driving safety
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 in
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
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 in
ches (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 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 posi
tion as possible .
" Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
" Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 125.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenge r's seat, see ¢
page 57.
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 airbag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po
sition 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 posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
-Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front passen
ger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
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Driving safety
-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 pas
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 150. Special precaut ions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 130.
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 ve
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow
i ng:
... Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position ¢
page 64.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
... Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 125 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age¢
page 150.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
114
-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 protection
when the seatback is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body . By not sit
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to: vehicles with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 129 Head restraint: viewe d from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
... Adjust the head restraints so the upper edg e 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
¢ fig . 129 .
Adjusting head restraints¢ page 60 .
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
dramatically . To help reduce the risk of injury:
-Always drive with the head restra ints in
place and properly adjusted.
-
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-Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints 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.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at
tempting to adjust the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
q page 150.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
q& -
The following bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
Driving safety
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
A WARNING
--=
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in-
flate without interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in
to you as the airbag deploys .
- No persons (children) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat . If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injur ies.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
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Safe ty belts
Never rely o n airbags alone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection. A irbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are a lways there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in wh ic h
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready dep loyed. Unbel ted occupants can
a lso be thrown o ut of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injur ies can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass enge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbelted passengers
i n t he rea r seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~ fig . 139. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
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 0 Driver is correctly restrai ned in a sudde n braking
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap
plied to the body in an accident, and he lp prevent
the uncont rolled moveme nt that can cause seri
ous injur ies. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the veh icle .
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Safety be lts attach passengers to the car an d give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tole rab le" and less likely to cause inj ury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re
duce the r isk o f injury in ot her kinds of crashes.
So, whethe r yo u're on a long trip or just going to
the cor ne r store, a lways b uckle up and make s ure
othe rs do, too. Ac ciden t stat ist ics show that veh i
cl e o ccupants prope rly wearing safety bel ts have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a m uch better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col
li sion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear co l
li sions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceleration throug h impa ct to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly rest rained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .
Safe ty belts
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red relea se
button only after the vehicle has stopped .
Fig. 145 Rele asing th e to ngu e fro m the buck le
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
Q fig. 145 . The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle
Q ,& .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Doing so will increase your risk of be
ing injured or k il led.
Improperly worn safety belts
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Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se
vere injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body .
Imp roper seating positions reduce the effect ive
ness of safety belts and wi ll
even i ncrease the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety bel t
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of se rio us inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i
tion . A
drive r is responsible fo r the safety of all
veh icle occupants and especially for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyon e to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle whi le traveling
Q A .
128
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
are cor rectly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS a nd
other impo rtant informat ion
Q page 124 .
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular sev erity, saf ety belts are tensioned au
tomatically .
The safety belts are eq uipped w ith safety belt
pretensioners. The system is activa ted by sensors
in front, side and rear -end collisions of great se
verity. This tightens the be lt and takes up belt
s lack
Q .&. in Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner on page 129 .
Taking up the slack
helps to reduce forward occupant movement dur
i ng a collis ion .
@ Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward.
@ Tips
The sa fety belt pretensioner can only be acti
vated once .
- The safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear -end coll i
sions.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are acti
vated, a f ine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the veh icle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An authorized
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop is familiar
w ith these regu lations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you. .,._
-Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi
v idual parts of the system, particularly the
safety be lt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have your author ized Audi
dealer perform this serv ice for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten
sioner
The safety belt pretens ione rs are parts of the
safety be lts on yo ur Audi. Installing, removing,
servicing or repairing of belt pretensioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from work ing correctly in a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or poll ute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing a safety be lt preten
sioner from activating when needed or acti
vating i t unexpectedly:
- The be lt pretensione r system can be act ivat
ed only once.
If belt pretensione rs have
been ac tiva ted, the system must be re
placed.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the s afety be lt system.
- Safe ty bel t systems in cl ud ing safe ty belt
pretens ioners cannot be repaired. Specia l
procedu res are req uired for removal, insta l
lat ion and disposa l of this system.
- For any wor k on the safety belt system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au
thorized Aud i dea ler o r qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual,
train ing and special equ ipment necessary.
@ For the sake of the environment
gi Undep loyed ai rbag modu les and pretension -
;:::: ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi-
r--.
~ al -special handling may apply, see 0
fi:' www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo-oo
S afet y be lts
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re
straint system including airbag modu les safe
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regu lations must be ob
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
129