Seat ALTEA Owner's Manual page 20

18 Seat belts
The danger of not using the seat belt
Even at low speeds the forces acting on the body in a collision are so great
that it is not possible to brace oneself with one's hands. In a frontal colli-
sion, unbelted occupants are thrown forward, and their bodies will hit the
steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen or whatever else is in the way
⇒ F ig.
8.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear seat belts properly, as
they could otherwise be thrown forward violently through the vehicle interi-
or in an accident. Passengers in the rear seats who do not use seat belts
endanger not only themselves but also the front occupants
Seat belt protection
Fig. 8 A driver not wear-
ing a seat belt is thrown
forward violently
Properly worn seat belts hold the occupants in their seats correctly. They al-
so help to prevent uncontrolled movements that could lead to severe inju-
ries and reduce the danger of being thrown from the vehicle in the event of
an accident.
Vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts correctly benefit greatly from the
ability of the belts to absorb kinetic energy. The front part of your vehicle
and other passive safety features, such as the airbag system, are also de-
Fig. 9 The unbelted pas-
signed to absorb the kinetic energy released in a collision. Taken together,
senger in the rear seat is
thrown forward violently,
all these features reduce the releasing kinetic energy and consequently, the
hitting the driver wearing
risk of injury. This is why it is so important to fasten seat belts before every
a seat belt.
trip, even when "just driving around the corner".
Ensure that your passengers wear their seat belts as well. Accident statistics
have shown that wearing seat belts is an effective means of substantially
reducing the risk of injury and improving the chances of survival in a seri-
ous accident. Furthermore, properly worn seat belts improve the protection
provided by airbags in the event of an accident. For this reason, wearing a
seat belt is required by law in most countries.
Although your vehicle is equipped with airbags, the seat belts must be fas-
tened and worn. The front airbags, for example, are only triggered in some
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9.
cases of frontal collision. The front airbags will not be triggered during

Fig. 10 Drivers with
properly worn seat belts
will not be thrown for-
ward in the event of sud-
den braking.
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