Audi Q3 2017 Owner's Manual page 113

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instr ument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way
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fig. 107.
This impact with the vehi-
cle interior has all the energy they had just be -
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even
when they deploy, airbags provide on ly additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, in-
cluding the dr iver, must wear safety belts cor -
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in-
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion in those acc idents in w hich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown out of the vehi cle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety bel t s correctly . Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not on ly t hemse lves
but also the driver and other passengers
¢
fig. 108.
In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
injure the driver and/or front seat passenger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It ' s simply
not true!
Fig. 109 Driver is correctly restra ined i n a sudden braking
maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ-
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
Safet y bel ts
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri-
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of be ing thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give
t hem the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or "softly" th rough the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi -
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinetic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to ca use injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re-
duce the risk of injury in ot her kinds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just go ing to
the corner store, a lways buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Acciden t statist ics show that veh i-
cle occupants properly wea ring safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident . Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col-
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le-
gally required in most count ries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i-
vated in a ll frontal collisions, in side and rear col-
lisions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
enough deceleration t hrough impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de-
scribed in this chapter .
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
111