Audi R8 2017 Owner's Manual page 200

Airb a g syste m
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 149
Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen-
ger deploy in certain but not all frontal collisions.
If the fron t airbags dep loy, the knee airbags also
deploy in fronta l collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
propellant gas, and inf late between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
i=)
page 190, fig. 146.
Alt hough they are not a soft pillow, they ca n
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex-
tremities.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have dep loyed. The a irbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper-
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc-
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
198
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection .
.&_
WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in-
jury. Wearing safety be lts incorrectly and im-
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee a irbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjust ing their
seat pos itions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bodies and knees at the fo llowing
m inimum safe distances:
- at least 10 in (25 cm) between the chest
and the steering wheel/instrument panel.
- at least 4 in (10 cm) between the knees
and the lower part of the instrument pan-
el.
- The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear-
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be-
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
wit h the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the a irbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in ser ious or fatal injuries .
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot-
well area in front of the driver's or pas-
senger's seat . Bulky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can interfere with or ..,