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Sa f e ty belts
instrument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the way
r:!>
fig. 156. This impact with the vehi-
cle interior has all the energy they had j ust be-
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in-
cluding the driver, 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 accidents in wh ich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed . Unbel ted occupants can
also be thrown out of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injuries can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass engers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passengers
in t he rear seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~
fig . 157. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
inj ure 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. 1 58 Driver is corr ectly restrai ned i n a sudden brak ing
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big d iffer-
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
142
plied to the body in an accident , and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri-
ous injuries. In add ition, sa fety belts red uce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and g ive
them the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi-
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to cause inju ry.
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re-
duce the risk of injury in ot her kinds of crashes .
So, whethe r you're on a long trip or just goi ng to
the cor ne r store, a lways buckle up and make sure
othe rs do, t oo. Acciden t st at ist ics show that veh i-
cle occupants prope rly wearing safety bel t s have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col-
lis ion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le-
gally required in most countries 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 examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i-
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col-
lis ions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation t hroug h impa ct t o the front
of t he 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 rest rained!
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 be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .
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