Skoda Octavia Owner's Manual page 165

WARNING
Observe the following instructions for the proper use of the seat belts.
Never use a seatbelt to secure two persons (not children either). The seat-
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belt must not be placed over a child who is sat on the lap of an occupant ei-
ther.
The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct
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one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to pro-
tect and the risk of injury increases.
The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked otherwise the belt tongue
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will not lock in place properly.
Many layers of clothing and loose clothing (e. g. a winter coat over a jacket)
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do not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the
seat belts.
It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e. g. for
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shortening the belts for smaller persons).
The seat belts for the rear seats can only fulfil their function reliably when
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the seat backrests are correctly locked into position
WARNING
Observe the following instructions for proper use of the seat belts.
The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belt webbing may im-
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pair proper operation of the inertia reel
The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not attempt
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to repair the seat belts yourself.
Check the condition of all the seat belts on a regular basis. If any damage to
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the seat belts, seat belt connections, inertia reel or the lock is detected, the
relevant seat belt must be replaced by a ŠKODA specialist garage.
Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident and
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were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is best done by a ŠKODA
specialist garage. The anchorage points for the belts should also be checked.
Note
The national legal requirements must be observed when using seat belts.
» page 69.
» page 188, Seat belts.
The physical principle of a frontal collision
Fig. 154 Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear seat passenger without a
fastened seat belt

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 162.
As soon as the vehicle is moving, so-called kinetic energy (the energy of motion)
is produced both in terms of the car as well as in terms of the occupants.
The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends essentially on the speed at which
the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the vehicle including the occupants.
The greater the speed and weight increase, the greater the amount of energy
which has to be absorbed in the event of an accident.
The speed of the vehicle is the most important factor. Doubling the speed of the
vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy four times.
The opinion that it is possible to support your body in a minor accident with your
hands, is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces acting on the
body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed of 30 km/h to 50 km/h, the forces that your body
is exposed to in the event of an accident can exceed a metric ton (1000 kg).
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg "increases" at 50 km/h to 4.8 tons
(4800 kg).

In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt, are
thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the car,
such as steering wheel, dash panel or windscreen
cumstances you could even be thrown out of the vehicle, which could cause life
threatening or even fatal injuries.
» Fig. 154 – . In certain cir-

163
Seat belts