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~ 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 .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry 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. 219 Correct seating pos ition
F or your own s afety 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 dr iver's seat so tha t you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the f loor wh ile
keeping your knee(s) s light ly bent
c::> _& .
~ Adjust the ang le of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact w ith it when you drive.
~ Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
stee ring wheel and you r breast bone
c::> fig. 219.
If no t possib le, see you r autho riz ed Aud i dea le r
abo ut adapt ive eq uipment.
Dri ving safety
~ Adjust 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 steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
~ Adjust the head restra int so the upper edge is
as
even as possible w ith the top of your head . If
that is not possib le, t ry to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this posit ion as
possible .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c::>page 264.
~ Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the ve hicle at a ll times.
F or detailed information on how to adj ust the
drive r's seat, see
c::> page 56 .
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 d uce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always ad just the driver's seat and the
steer ing whee l so that there are at least
10 inc hes (25 cm) between you r breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel r im with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o' clock posi
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in
ju ry if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the
12 o' clock position o r with you r hands at
o ther posi tions ins ide the s teer ing whee l
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serio us injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the dr iver's airbag dep loys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen tal driver's airbag to protect you in a coll i
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean aga inst or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
253

Driving safety
-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 always ride in child safety
seats¢ page 291 . Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c:> page 269.
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 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 .
... 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 58.
... Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts correct
ly¢ page 264.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 56 .
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:
254
- 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 pas
senger's breastbone and 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 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
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 safety
seats ¢ page 291. Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c::> page 269.
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
ing :
... If there are passengers on the outer rear seats,
adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is
.,.

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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. If there is a passenger in the center
rear seat, slide the head restraint upward
c:>page 58 .
• Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright pos ition
r:::;, page 63 .
• Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
• Fasten and wear safety be lts properly
,:;;;,page 264.
• Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and
ager:::;, page 291 .
A 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 max imum p rotection
when the seatback is securely latched in the
upr ight position and the safety be lts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body. By not sit
t ing upright, a rea r seat passenger increases
the risk of personal in jury from improperly
posit ioned safety belts !
- Always adjust the head rest raint properly so
that it can g ive maximum protection.
Dri ving safety
Proper adjustment of 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.
F ig . 2 2 0 Head restraint: v iewed from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
• Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le 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 . Position* the head restraint as close
as possible to the back of your head.
• If there is a passenger in the center rear seat,
slide the head restra int upward.
Adjusting head restraints
r:::;, page 58.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints .
Driving w ithout head restraints or w ith head
r est raints that are not properly adjusted in
creases the r is k of se rious or fata l neck injury
dramat ic al ly. To help reduce the risk of inju ry:
- Always d rive with the head restra ints in
p lace and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
p roperly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the veh icle
p roperly adjusts the ir head restraint. Adj ust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible wi th the top of your head.
I f that is not poss ible, try to ad just the head
rest raint so that it is as close to this position
as poss ible.
Ill>
255

Drivin g saf ety
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have dr iven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at
tempting to ad just the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
c> page 291 .
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 deat h. 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
i n ju ry and death by moving the safety be lt to crit
ical a reas of t he body. Improper seat ing posit ions
a lso increase the risk of serious injury and dea th
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver is responsib le 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 wi ll 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.
The refore, when ever th e vehicle i s mo ving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never s tand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- never r ide with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the seats
- never lean up against the instrument pane l
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lea n ou t t he w indow
- never put yo ur feet out the window
256
-never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat c ushion or bac k
o f the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
.8, WARNING
Imp roper seating positions in cr ease the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and dea th whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle o ccupants
s tay in a proper sea ting posit ion and a re
proper ly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used .
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 retur ning to their or ig inal pos itions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a bra ke circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav
e l is req uired to bring the vehicle to a fu ll stop.
.8, WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle contro l and increase the r isk of seri
ous injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's foot
wel l. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal funct ion. In case of
sudden braking or an acc ident, you would
no t be able to brake o r acce le rate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.

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Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts 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 s ingle most effective
means ava ilable 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, o r physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
like ly 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 Aud i has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat
ing position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wear ing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
inju ry and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe
cia lly dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitt ing on you r lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
Safety belts
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Fig. 222 Safety belt warn ing ligh t in the instrument clus ·
te r - en larged
Before driving off, always:
• Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
;;i;
• Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
• Protect ch ildren 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 add ition,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the single most effect ive
means available to red uce the risk of serious
i njur y and death in automobile accidents.
F or your protection and that of yo ur passen
gers, a lways correct ly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Fail ure to pay attention to the warning light
that comes on cou ld lead to personal injury.
261

Safety belts
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 223 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle headi ng fo r a wall
Fig. 224 The vehicle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi
cle and the passengers possess energy which var ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight. Engi
neers call this energy "k inetic energy."
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 us
ing safety belts
qfig. 223, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, unti l something stops them -
here, the wall
q fig . 224.
The same principles apply to people sit ting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision . Even
at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
262
(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 collis ion
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 collisions .
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. 225 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio len tly
t hrow n fo rward
Fig. 226 A rear passe nge r not wear ing a sa fety belt will fly
forward and str ike t he drive r
Unbelted occupants are not able to res ist the tre
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. Without the benefit of safe
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the stee ring wheel, in
strument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way
q fig . 225. T his impact with the vehi
cle interior has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash.
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Never rely o n airbags a lone fo r protection . Even
when t hey deploy, airbags provide on ly additiona l
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equ ipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in
cluding the dr iver, 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 always there
to offer protection in those acc idents in w hich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed. Unbel ted occupants can
a lso be thrown o ut of the vehi cle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur .
I t is also important for the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts corre ctly . U nbel ted passengers
in the re ar seats endanger no t onl y themse lves
but also the driver and ot he r p assengers
¢ fig. 226. In a fronta l 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. 22 7 Driver is correct ly restra ined in a s udden b rak ing
maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer
e nce. Safety belts he lp to keep passenge rs in
thei r seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap
p lied to the body in an ac cid en t, and h elp p reven t
the uncon trolled movement tha t can cause seri
ous injuries . In addition, safety belts reduce t he
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle .
Safet y bel ts
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and g ive
t h em the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" th rough the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi
neered into today 's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inetic ene rgy over a longer period of t ime, the
sa fe ty belts make the fo rces on the body more
"tolerab le " and less likely to ca use in jury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety be lts ca n also substa ntia lly re
duce the r is k of injury in ot her k inds of crashes.
So, whethe r you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to
t h e cor ner store, a lways b uck le up and make sure
othe rs do, too. A cciden t st atis tic s show tha t ve hi
cl e occupan ts properly wea ring safety bel ts have
a lower risk of be ing injured and a muc h better
chance of surviving an acci dent . Properly using
sa fety belts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col
lis ion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le
gally required in most count ries includ ing 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 example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags a re not ac ti
vated in a ll frontal collisions, in side and rear co l
li sio ns, in rollove rs o r in cases whe re there is not
eno ugh deceleration throug h impact to the front
of the veh icle. The same goes for the othe r airbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained !
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 for use and are not damaged.
263

Safety belts
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly .
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be fore driving off and make sure all passen
gers are correctly restrained.
-For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
-Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt .
-Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven .
-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 vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
-Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects 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 hard
ware .
-Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
-Several layers of heavy clothing may inter
fere with correct positioning of belts and re duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
-Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely .
-Never use comfort clips or devices that cre
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
-Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci
dent . Inspect belts regularly .
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
264
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al
so be inspected.
-Never remove, modify , d isassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impair the func
tion of the inertia
reel¢ table Interior
cleaning on page 346.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 228 Belt buckle and tongue on the drive r's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly¢ page 56, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt ¢,&
.
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis
¢ fig . 228, ¢ ,& .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
..,.