Off-Road Driving - Skoda YETI - 11-2009 Owner's Manual

180 Driving and the Environment
Note
After driving through a body of water, we recommend that the vehicle is checked by a
specialist garage.

Off-road driving

Important information
WARNING
•
Never drive too fast, particularly not around curves, and never undertake
extreme driving manoeuvres.
•
Always adjust your speed and adapt your style of driving to suit road, off-
road, traffic and weather conditions.
•
In case the vehicle is stationary on a hillside at a steep angle, do not exit the
vehicle when it is facing downhill. Through this the overall centre of gravity can
shift in such a way that the vehicle tilts and rolls down the hillside - hazard!
Always carefully exit your vehicle on the side facing uphill ⇒ page 186.
•
A lack of experience and knowledge when driving off-road can lead to crit-
ical situations and serious injuries.
•
Never choose a dangerous route and never take a risk which could jeop-
ardize your safety and that of your passengers. If you cannot go on or if you
doubt the safety of the route, turn back and choose another way. Even a terrain,
which looks harmless, can be difficult and dangerous, and may bring you and
your passengers into a critical situation.
•
If you have not fastened your seat belt correctly or you are not wearing your
seat belt at all, or you are holding the steering wheel incorrectly when driving
off-road, the risk of severe or even fatal injuries increases. Correctly fastened
seat belts reduce serious injuries in case of sudden braking manoeuvers and
accidents. As long as the vehicle is in motion, always have your seat belt and
those of your passengers correctly fastened. Take your thumbs off the steering
wheel when driving off-road. Should resistance build up in front of the wheels,
the steering wheel may suddenly and unexpectedly spin and hurt you. Hold the
WARNING (continued)
steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3
o'clock position.
•
If you have not fastened your seat belt correctly or you are not wearing your
seat belt at all, or you are holding the steering wheel incorrectly when driving
off-road, the risk of severe or even fatal injuries increases.
•
Correctly fastened seat belts reduce serious injuries in case of sudden
braking manoeuvers and accidents. Therefore you and your passengers must
always fasten your seat belts correctly as long as the vehicle is moving.
•
Take your thumbs off the steering wheel when driving off-road. If the
wheels hit an obstacle, the steering wheel may suddenly and unexpectedly spin
and hurt you!
•
Never use the cruise control system when driving off-road. The use of the
cruise control system when driving off-road is unsuitable and can even be
dangerous.
•
Do not drive over embankments, ramps or hillsides at too high a speed. This
can lead to the wheels of the vehicle lifting off the ground so that you can no
longer steer and control the vehicle.
•
If the wheels lose contact with the ground, for example when the vehicle
rebounds while driving over corrugations, steer straight ahead. If the wheels
are turned when making the contact with the ground again, the vehicle can roll
over.
•
There should never be any person in front or behind the vehicle when rocks,
scrub, wood pieces or other objects are placed under the wheels in order to
achieve traction on a sandy or slippery ground. Turning the wheels can trans-
form these objects into dangerous "bullets" – hazard!
Warning of a rollover
Vehicles of this type have a higher centre of gravity than ordinary vehicles. This
increases the risk of vehicle rollover when driving on-road and off-road. Therefore, you
must always pay attention to the safety information which is stated in the Owner's
Manual.