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Safe driving 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
be lts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Yo ur safety is for us
priority number 1. Al
ways observe the info rmation and warn ings i n
this section - for you r own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this sect ion app lies to all
model ve rsions of your vehicle. Some of the fea
tures descr ibed in t his sec tions may be standa rd
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
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
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 d river and
passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owne r's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques
t ions.
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 yo ur passenger
should not be left to c han ce. Advances in tech
nology have made a var iety of features ava ilab le
t o he lp reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
Safe d riv ing
The following is a lis t of just a few of the sa fe ty
features in yo ur Audi :
- sophisti cated safety be lts fo r dr ive r and pas -
senger seat ing pos ition,
- safety belt p re tensioners,
- safety belt force lim ite rs,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags*
- side airbags in the seats,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- ad justab le steer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features , ca n work to
gether as a system to he lp p rotect you and your
passenger in a w ide range of acc idents. These
f ea tures canno t work as a system if they are not
always correc tly ad justed and cor rect ly used.
Safet y is everybody's r esponsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
saf ety always depends on the informed and care
f1,1/ driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passenger,
before driv ing always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and s ignals are operat
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Ma ke sure that a ll w indows are clean and afford
good v isibility to the outs ide.
.,. Sec ure all luggage and othe r items c arefully
¢ page 185, ¢ page 49.
.,. Make sure that not hing can i nterfere with the
peda ls .
.,. Adj ust seat and mirro rs cor rectly for your
he ight .
.,. Make sure to use the right child restra int cor
rectly to protect children ¢
page 218, Child
safety .
.,. Sit p roper ly in you r seat a nd make sure that
your passenger do the same¢
page 47, Seats
and storage .
.,. Fasten your safety belt and wear i t properly . Al
so instruct your passenge r to fasten his safety
be lt properly
c:!:> page 189.
181
Safe driving
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 respons ible for the safety of the ve
hicle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
vehicle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road
c:::> .&_. Therefore :
~ Do not let yourself be distracted by passenger
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, traffic 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 tired, under pres
sure or when you are stressed.
..&, WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 152 Correct seating position
182
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following
position:
~ Adjust 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
c:::> .&_.
~ Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive.
~ Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a d is
tance of at least 10 in (25 cm) between the
steering wheel and your breast bone
c:::>fig. 152.
If not possible, see your authorized Audi deal
ership about adaptive equipment.
~ Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
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.
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:::> page 192.
~ 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
c:::> page 47, Seats and storage.
..&, 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 in (25 cm) between your breastbone and
the steering wheel.
-Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least 4 in
(10 cm) between the knees and the lower
part of the instrument panel.
- 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 risk 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
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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 inflates
- 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
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 always ride in child seats
¢
page 218. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 196 .
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger sea ting posi tion is
important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
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 .
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢ page 192.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see¢
page 47 .
Safe driving
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 in (25 cm) between the front passen
ger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least 4 in
(10 cm) between the front passenger'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 pas
senger seat proper ly.
- 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
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety be lt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 218 . Special precautions apply
when install ing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c:> page 196.
183
Safe dri ving
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are 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 effect iveness
of safety belts and w ill even increase the r isk of
inj ury and death by moving the safety be lt to crit
ical areas o f 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
c:> .&_ .
The fo llowing bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of serio us inj ury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating posit ions that
are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
- never stand up in the ve hicle
- never stand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- never r ide with the seatback reclined
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- 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 on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never r ide in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating posit ions increase the r isk
of se rious personal injury and death wheneve r
a vehicle is being used.
184 -
Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the knee airbag can in
flate without interfe rence. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the ai rbag dep loys o r by being pushed in
to you as the airbag dep loys.
- No persons (chi ldren) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat. If the airbag deploys, this can res ult in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger 's seat. Bu lky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure 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 all pedals move free ly without in
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions.
Only use floor m ats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails , in creased brake pedal trav-
el is required to bring the vehicle to a fu ll stop. .,..
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A WARNING ,~
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri
ous injury .
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere w ith pedal function . In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would
not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall o r
move into the dr iver's footwe ll.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at
tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in
terfere with the free movement of the pedals .
.,. Make sure that the floor mats are properly se
cured and cannot move and interfe re with the
peda ls ¢ ,&. .
Use o nly floor mats that leave the pedal area un
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of pos it ion . You can obtain
suitable floo r mats from yo ur au tho riz ed A ud i
Dea le r.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
F loor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor mats w ill prevent them from sliding into posi
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im
pa ir safe operation of your veh icle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can resul t in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
ser ious personal in jury.
- Always ma ke sure tha t floor mats are p rop
erly se cured.
- Never place o r insta ll floo r mats or other
floo r coverings in the ve hicle tha t cannot be
properly se cured in place to prevent them
from slipp ing and interfering with the ped
als or the ability to control the vehicle .
- Never place or inst all floo r ma ts or o ther
floo r coverings on top of a lready installed
Safe d riv ing
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
cover ings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly re insta ll and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell whi le the vehicle is
mov ing . Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus i n g a loss of vehicle control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart
ment .
Loose items in the luggage compa rtme nt can
shift suddenly , changing veh icle hand lin g charac
te ris tics. Loose i tems can a lso incre ase the risk of
serious persona l injury in a sudden veh icle ma
neuver or in a collision.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com
par tment .
.. Always p lace and properly sec ure heavy items in
the l uggage compartment as far forward as
possible .
.. Secure luggage using the t ie-downs provided
¢page 186.
A WARNING ~
Improperly stored luggage or o ther items can
f ly through the veh icle ca using se rious per
sona l injury i n the event of ha rd bra king or an
a ccident. To help reduce the risk of serio us
p ersonal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, l uggage or
o ther heavy items in the l uggage compart
ment .
- Always secure objects in the luggage com
pa rtment us ing the tie-down eyelets and
suitable st raps.
185
Safe driving
_& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible .
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and hand le differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
c';> page 181.
_& 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 be cause 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 convertible top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
_& WARNING
'
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the convertible top 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.
186 -
Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment . Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve hicle 's seating positions.
{1) Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the left
side of the luggage compartment. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended 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 man ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
c';> page 257.
Tie -downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items .
fl AUD I I
Fig. 153 Lug gage compar tmen t: loca ti on of th e tie-dow ns ....
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
~page 185, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a coll is ion, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller i tems that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury. Items in the ve hicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Veh icle speed is the most signif icant factor .
F or example, in a frontal collision at a speed o f
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10 lbs
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the norma l
weight of the item. Th is 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 th rough the
passenger compa rtment cou ld cause in a col li
sion li ke this.
_& WARNING
-
Wea k, damaged o r imp roper straps used to
secure i tems to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking o r in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use su itab le mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or f ly ing fo rward as dan
gerous missiles.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down .
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
ha s a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injur y or
death, you should immediatel y in
form the National High way Traffi c
Safet y Admini str ation (NHTSA) in
~ addition to notifying Audi of
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Safe d riv ing
If NHTSA re cei ves s imil a r com
pl aint s, it m ay open an in vestiga
tion , and i f it find s that a safet y
defe cts ex ists in a grou p of
v ehicl es, it m ay order a re call and
r e m edy campaign . H ow eve r,
NHTSA cann ot b ecome in vol ved in
ind ivid ual pr oblem s between you,
y our dealer, or Audi of Ameri ca,
In c.
To contact NHTS A, you ma y call
the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll
free at:
T el.: 1 (888) 327-4236 (TTY: 1
( 800) 424 -9153) or 1 (800)
4 24- 9393
or you m ay write to:
Administr ator
NHTSA
1200 Ne w Jerse y Avenue, SE
Wa shington , D.C. 20590
You can als o obtain oth er inf or
mation about motor vehicle safe
t y fro m:
http: //www. saf ercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If y ou li ve in Canad a and you be
l ie ve that your vehicle has a de
fe ct that could cau se a cra sh, in
jur y or death, you should imm edi-
a tel y inform Transp ort Canada , ..,
187
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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly. .. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death .
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi TT Roadster has two seating positions. Each seating position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death .
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt .
It is espe
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sit ting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts ava ilable.
Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
4 Safety belt warning l ight
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling up.
Fi g. 154 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus
te r -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you wear
it properly.
.,. Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
.,. Protect children with a child restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age.
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is switched on as a re
minder to fasten the safety belts . In addition, a
warning tone will sound for a certain period of
t im e.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
F or your protection and that of your passen
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that comes on could lead to personal injury.
189