Get Safety -> Seat belts Guide for Skoda Octavia 4 Door Third Generation (2013-2020)

102

Seat belts

Why seat belts?

It is important that you pay attention to safety measures, particularly when trans-

porting children in the vehicle  page 115, “What you should know about trans-

porting children!”.

WARNING

 Fasten your seat belt each time before setting off, also when driving in town!

This also applies to the people seated at the rear - risk of injury!

 Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of

ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child  page 104, “Fastening

three-point seat belts”.

 It is important for the belt webbing to be properly routed if the seat belts are

to offer the maximum protection. You can see a description of how safety belts

should be fitted properly on the next pages.

Fig. 108 Driver wearing seat belt

Note

Please comply with any differing legal requirements when using the seat belts.

It is a proven fact that seat belts offer good protection in accidents  fig. 108. Thus

wearing a seat belt is a legal requirement in most countries.

Seat belts which have been correctly fastened and adjusted hold the occupants of the

car in the correct seated position  fig. 108. The belts reduce the kinetic energy

(energy of motion) to a considerable extent. They also prevent uncontrolled move-

ments which, in turn, may well result in severe injuries.

The occupants of a vehicle who have fastened and correctly adjusted their seat belt,

profit to a major extent from the fact that the kinetic energy is optimally absorbed by

the belts. The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other passive safety meas-

ures, such as the airbag system, also contribute to reducing the kinetic energy. The

energy produced is thus absorbed and there is less risk of injury.

Accident statistics prove that seat belts which are fastened and properly adjusted

reduce the risk of an injury and enhance the chance of survival in a major accident

 page 103.

Seat belts

103

The physical principle of a frontal collision

The speed of the vehicle is, nevertheless, the most important factor. Doubling the

speed of the vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy four

times.

The common opinion that it is possible to support your body in a minor accident with

your hands, is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces acting on the

body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.

Even if you only drive at a speed within the range from 30 km/hour to 50 km/hour, the

forces which are produced on your body in the event of an accident can easily exceed

10.000 N (Newton). This equals a weight of one tonne (1 000 kg).

In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt, are

thrown forward and strike in an uncontrolled way parts of the interior of the car, such

as steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen,  fig. 109. The occupants of a vehicle who

have not fastened their seat belts may even be thrown out of the vehicle. This can

Fig. 109 The driver is catapulted

result in fatal injuries.

forward if not wearing a belt

It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they will otherwise

be thrown through the vehicle in an uncontrolled manner in the event of an accident

A rear seat passenger who has not fastened the seat belt is a danger not only to himself

but also for those seated at the front  fig. 110.

Important safety information regarding the use of seat

belts

The correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the risk of injury!

WARNING

Fig. 110 The rear seat occupant

 The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or twisted,

is catapulted forward if not

or chafe against any sharp edges.

wearing a belt

 It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts are

to offer their maximum protection  page 104, “How are seat belts correctly

The physical principle of a frontal accident can be explained quite simply:

fastened?”.

Motion energy, so-called kinetic energy, is produced as soon as the vehicle is moving,

 No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat belt

both for the vehicle and its occupants. The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends

together.

essentially on the speed at which the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the

 The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if you

vehicle and the occupants. The greater the speed and weight increase, the greater the

amount of energy which has to be absorbed in the event of an accident.

are correctly seated  page 98, “Correct seated position”.

Using the system

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Technical Data

104

Seat belts

How are seat belts correctly fastened?

WARNING (continued)

 The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. specta-

Fastening three-point seat belts

cles, ball-point pens, keys etc.) as this may be a cause of injuries.

Fasten your seat belt before starting!

 Bulky, loose clothing (e.g. a winter coat over a jacket) does not allow you to

be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the seat belts.

 It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e.g. for

shortening the belts for smaller persons).

 The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct

one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to protect

and the risk of injury increases.

 The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear

otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.

 The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belt webbing may

impair proper operation of the inertia reel  page 143, “Seat belts”.

 The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or similar objects

Fig. 111 Routing of webbing

over the shoulders and the lap

otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place properly.

belt

 Inspect the seat belts regularly to ensure they are in good condition. If you

find seat belts which have damage to the seat belt webbing, seat belt connec-

tions, to the inertia reels or to the lock, the relevant safety belt must be replaced

by a specialist garage.

 The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not make an

attempt to repair the seat belts yourself.

 Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident and

were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is best done by a specialist

garage. The anchorage points of the belts must also be inspected. The

anchorage points for the belts should also be checked.

 In certain countries it is possible to use seat belts which differ in terms of

their operation from the seat belts which are described on the pages which

follow.

Fig. 112 Routing of belt webbing

for an expectant mother

– Correctly adjust the front seat and the head restraint before fastening your seat

belt  page 56.

Seat belts

105

Seat belt height adjuster

– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the tongue of the lock over your chest and pelvis



– Insert the tongue of the lock into the seat belt buckle belonging to the seat until it

is heard to lock in place.

– Pull on the belt to check that it has also reliably engaged in the lock.

Each three-point seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel. This inertia reel offers you

complete freedom of movement if the belt is unreeled slowly. If the brakes are applied

suddenly, the inertia reel will block. It also blocks the belts when the car accelerates,

when driving uphill and when cornering.

Expectant mothers must also wear the seat belt 

Fig. 113 Front seat: Seat belt

height adjuster

WARNING

The seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the routing of the three-

 The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across your neck but must

point seat belt in the area of the shoulder to match your body size.

run approximately over the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the

– In order to adjust the height, press on the upper seat belt deflection and push it

chest. The lap part of the belt must run across the hip and must never be routed

into the desired direction up or down so that the shoulder part of the belt is posi-

across the stomach. It must always fit snugly  page 104, fig. 111. Adjust the

tioned approximately across the middle of your shoulder  page 104, fig. 111.

belt webbing as required.

 The lap part of the belt should be positioned as low as possible at the pelvis

– Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has correctly

locked in place.

of an expectant mother in order to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower

abdomen.

 Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat

WARNING

belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in

Adjust the height of the belt in such a way that the shoulder part of the belt is

minor accidents.

positioned approximately across the middle of your shoulder - on no account

 A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body is

across your neck.

moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an accident and is then

suddenly held firm by the belt.

Note

 Only insert the lock tongue into the lock which is the correct one for your

It is also possible to adapt the routing of the belt webbing at the front seats by adjusting

seat. This will affect the protection which the belt offers and increase the risk of

the height of the seat.

an injury.

Using the system

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Technical Data

106

Seat belts

Taking seat belts off

Switching child safety lock on

– Attach the child safety seat with the three-point seat belt (self-retracting) as stated

in the manufacturer's instructions.

– Reel up the shoulder part of the belt completely. When the belt is reeled up, this

can be detected by a “clicking” noise.

– After fixing the child seat in place, let the belt freely reel up. Now the belt can no

longer be reeled down.

– Check if the safety lock is activated by pulling on the belt.

Switching child safety lock off

Fig. 114 Releasing lock tongue

from belt lock

– By pressing the button in the lock of the safety belt, the blocking is unblocked and

afterwards the safety belt starts to reel up.

– Press the red button in the belt lock  fig. 114. The spring force causes the tongue

– After fully reeling up the belt, you can freely reel it down again.

of the lock to jump out.

– Guide the belt back with your hand to enable the inertia reel to wind up the belt

The pelvic belt*

webbing more easily.

A plastic knob in the belt webbing holds the belt tongue in a position which is easy to

get hold of.

Three-point seat belt with the Interlock System*

A three-point safety belt with the Interlock System is used on some vehicles instead of

a pelvic belt.

If the backrest of the rear seats is not secured, the retractor blocks and the seat belt

cannot be reeled down.

Fig. 115 Fasten pelvic belt

Rear middle three-point safety belt with safety lock for a child seat*

In order to attach a child seat the rear middle three-point safety belt with the blocking,

the so-called child safety locks, can be used.

Seat belts

107

Belt tensioners

Safety for the driver and front passenger wearing their seat belts is enhanced by the

belt tensioners fitted to the inertia reels of the front three-point seat belts, in addition

to the protection afforded by the airbag system.

The three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a frontal collision

of a certain severity. The belt tensioners can also be deployed if the seat belts are not

fastened.

Fig. 116 Extending the pelvic

The belt tensioner is deployed in the event of a frontal collision of major severity. A

belt

powder charge is ignited in the inertia reels during deployment. The belt webbing is

pulled into the inertia reels by a mechanical system and the belt is tensioned.

The rear middle seat is fitted with a pelvic belt. The lock part of the two-point pelvic belt

Belt tensioners are not activated in the event of minor frontal collisions, side and rear-

is operated in the same way as for a three-point safety belt. An unused pelvic belt

end collisions, in the case of a rollover and also not in accidents in which no major

should be stowed away together with the lock for safety reasons.

forces are produced from the front.

Extending the pelvic belt

WARNING

– Hold the lock tongue at right angles to the belt webbing and pull through the

 Any work on the system including removal and installation of system

desired amount of belt webbing  fig. 116.

components because of other repair work, must only be carried out by a

Shortening the pelvic belt

specialist garage.

 The protective function of the system is only adequate for a single accident.

– Pull on the free end of the belt.

If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to replace the

– Fix the excess belt length by threading it through the plastic slider.

entire system.

 The Owner's Manual must also be handed over to the new owner if the

The adjustment of the belt length is facilitated by simultaniously pressing the belt

vehicle is sold.

tongue and the belt cover lengthwise.

Note

WARNING

 Smoke is generated when the belt tensioners are deployed. This is not an indica-

The pelvic belt must always sit firmly across the pelvis; tighten the belt webbing

tion of a fire in the vehicle.

if necessary.

 It is essential to pay attention to relevant safety regulations if the vehicle or indi-

vidual parts of the system are scrapped. Specialist garages are familiar with these regu-

lations and will be able to provide you with detailed information in this respect.

 When disposing of vehicle or parts of the system, it is important to comply with the

national legal requirements.

Using the system

Safety

Driving Tips

General Maintenance

Breakdown assistance

Technical Data

Safety -> Seat belts for Your Skoda Octavia 4 Door Third Generation (2013-2020)

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