Why Safety Belts - Audi TT 2012 Owner's Manual

Safety belts 1 (
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi-
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen-
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them-
selves but also the driver and other passen-
gers
q fig. 106.
In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas-
senger.
5afety belts used properly can make a big dif-
ference. 5afety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
5afety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
People think it's possible to use the honds ta
brace the body in
0
minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 107 Driver is properly restrained in a sudden brak-
ing maneuver.
Safety belts protect
h pp ens to occupants not wearing
Wha
t
a
safety belts?
. 105 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
FIg.
thrown forwa rd
Fig. 106 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt
will fly forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc-
cupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel instrument panel, windshield, or what-
ever e;se is in the way q fig. 105. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup-
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al-
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini-
rnize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Rernember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
h s unbelted occupants cannot stop
I
n
crase
. .
1
es
~rom flying forward and bemg m-
them se
V I '
b 1
1
k il d. Always wear your safety e ts.
jured or
1
e
~~~~
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<D
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/hl, the energy increases 4 times!
Because the occupants in this vehicle are not
using safety belts qfig. 103, theywill keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall q fig. 104.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision.
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/hl, the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kgl or
more. At higher speeds, these forces are even
greater.
People who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli-
sion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kiJ:lds of accidents and col·
lisions.
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies with vehicle speed and body
weight. Engineers call this energy "kinetic en.
ergy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
A
WARNING
- 5afety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se-
rious injury and death in automobile acci-
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person-
al injury.
Safety belts
The warning light
Il
in the instrument clust€r
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a
reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi-
tion, you will hear a warning tone for a certain
period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
Fig. 103 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a
wall
Why safety belts?
Fig. 104 The vehicle crashes into the wall.
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
104
b
....