Skoda Octavia Owner's Manual page 14

WARNING (Continued)
Check the condition of all the seat belts on a regular basis. If any damage
■
to the seat belts, seat belt connections, inertia reel or the lock is detected,
the relevant seat belt must be replaced by a specialist garage.
Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident
■
and were therefore stretched, must be replaced – this is best done by a
specialist garage. The anchorage points for the belts should also be
checked.
The physical principle of a head-on collision
Fig. 4 Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear seat passenger without a
fastened seat belt

Read and observe on page 11 first.
As soon as the vehicle is moving, so-called kinetic energy (the energy of mo-
tion) 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.
Doubling the speed of the vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases
the kinetic energy four times.
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg "increases" at 50 km/h to 4.8 tons
(4800 kg).
12
Safety
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt
are thrown forward and strike parts of the interior of the car, such as the
steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen in ways which cannot be controlled
» Fig. 4 - . In certain circumstances you could even be thrown out of the vehi-
cle, which could cause life threatening or even fatal injuries.
Rear seat passengers who have not fastened their seat belts are a danger not
only to themselves but also to those seated at the front
Correct routing of seat belt
Fig. 5 Routing of belt webbing over the shoulders and the lap belt/Rout-
ing of belt webbing for an expectant mother

Read and observe on page 11 first.
It is important that the belt is properly routed to ensure seat belts offer the
maximum protection.
» Fig. 4 – .
Fig. 6
Front seat: Seat belt height ad-
juster
