Correct Seated Position - Skoda Octavia Owner's Manual

What influences the driving safety?
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First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 138.
The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety
is effected, you place yourself and the oncoming traffic at risk.
The following guidelines must therefore be observed.
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Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
passengers or mobile phone calls.
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Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication, alco-
hol or drugs.
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Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
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Always adjust the driving speed to the road, traffic and weather conditions.
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Take regular breaks on long journeys – at least every two hours.

Correct seated position

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Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Correct seated position for the driver
Correct seated position for the front passenger
Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats
Examples of an incorrect seated position
WARNING
At all times, the front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to match
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the person's body size and the seat belt must be attached properly to provide
the most effective levels of protection to passengers.
Always assume the correct seated position before setting off and do not
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change this position while driving. Also advise your passengers to adopt the
correct seated position and not to change this position while the car is mov-
ing.
If the occupant adopts an incorrect seated position, he is exposed to life-
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threatening injuries, in case he is hit by a deployed airbag.
WARNING (Continued)
If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is
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increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from the steering
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wheel, and a distance of at least 10 cm between the legs and the dash panel
at the height of the knee airbag. The front passenger must maintain a dis-
tance of at least 25 cm to the dash panel. Not maintaining this minimum dis-
tance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you
– hazard!
When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
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edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel in
the 12 o'clock position or in any other way (e.g. in the middle or inner edge of
the steering wheel). In such cases, you could severely injure the arms, hands
and head when the driver airbag is deployed.
 The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
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this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system –
risk of injury!
Ensure that there are no objects in the driver's footwell as they may get
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caught behind the pedals when driving or applying the braking. You would
then no longer be able to operate the clutch, brake or accelerate.
Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven – never
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place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces
of the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes nec-
essary to apply the brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is de-
140
ployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated posi-
140
tion!
140
140
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139
Passive Safety