Seat Ibiza Owner's Manual page 20

18 Seat belts
Vehicle occupants not wearing seat belts are not "attached" to the vehicle.
In a head-on collision, they will move forward at the same speed their vehi-
cle was travelling just before the impact. This example applies not only to
head-on collisions, but to all accidents and collisions.
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 vehicle occupants are thrown forward and will make violent
contact with the steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen or whatever else is
in the way
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear seat belts properly, as
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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 the best position. Seat belts
also help to prevent uncontrolled movements that could lead to severe inju-
ries. In addition, properly worn seat belts reduce the danger of being
thrown from the vehicle.
Fig. 9 The unbelted pas-
Vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts correctly benefit greatly from the
senger in the rear seat is
ability of the belts to absorb kinetic energy. The front part of your vehicle
thrown forward violently,
hitting the driver wearing and other passive safety features, such as the airbag system, are also de-
a seat belt.
signed to absorb the kinetic energy released in a collision. Taken together,
all these features reduce the releasing kinetic energy and consequently, the
risk of injury. This is why it is so important to fasten seat belts before every
trip, even when "just driving around the corner".
⇒ F ig.
8.
⇒ F ig.
9.
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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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