Volkswagen Tiguan Owners Manual: What happens to passengers not wearing a safety belt

Volkswagen Tiguan Owners Manual / Before driving / Sitting properly and safely / Safety belts / What happens to passengers not wearing a safety belt

Fig. 58 The unbelted driver is thrown forward.

Fig. 59 Unbelted passengers in the rear seats are thrown forward on top of the belted driver.

Read and follow the introductory information and safety information first⇒

Introduction to the subject

Many people believe that it is possible to resist the forces of an impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. That is simply not true!

Even at low collision speeds, the forces acting on the body are too much for the body to be held in the seat with the arms and hands. In a frontal collision, unrestrained occupants will slam violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield or anything else in the way ⇒ Fig. 58 .

Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy, airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not supposed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Even if your vehicle is equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver, must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of severe injury or death in a crash, regardless of whether a seating position has an airbag or not.

An airbag will deploy only once. Safety belts are always 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 vehicle, causing even more severe injuries or death.

It is also important for occupants in the rear seats to wear their safety belts properly since they can be thrown violently forward through the vehicle in the event of an accident. Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only themselves but also the driver and other passengers in the vehicle ⇒ Fig. 59 .

Frontal collisions and laws of physics

Fig. 56 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts approaches a wall. Fig. 57 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts hits a wall. Read and follow the introductory information ...

Safety belts protect

Fig. 60 Belted driver secured by the correctly worn safety belt in the event of a sudden braking maneuver. Read and follow the introductory information and safety information first⇒Introduction ...

See More:

Volkswagen Tiguan Service and Repair Manual > Tire Information: Tires with Emergency Running Characteristics, SST (Self-Supporting Tire)
Run-Flat Tire, General Information Run-flat tires have a reinforced sidewall in comparison to standard tires. This reduces the tendency for the sidewall to roll when there is a loss of pressure and prevents the sides of the tire from being pinched. This allows the vehicle to be driven while still ...