1998 HONDA CIVIC COUPE height

Protecting Adults

If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm instead of your shoulder, you need toadjust the seat belt anchor height.
An improperly positioned seat belt can cause severe neck injuries if the
belt is positioned too high, or serious chest or internal injuries if the belt is
positioned too low. To adjust the height of a front seat
belt anchor, squeeze the two release
buttons and slide the anchor up ordown as needed (it has four

positions).

Never place the shoulder portion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back. This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
Using the Lap Belt

Insert the latch plate into the buckle
marked CENTER. If the belt is too short, hold the latch
plate at a right angle and pull on the
plate to extend the belt. Then insert
the latch plate into the buckle, and
tug on the belt to make sure the belt is securely latched.

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Protecting Children
Protecting Infants
Child Seat Type
To provide proper support for a baby's head, neck and back, infants
up to about one year of age must be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode. We recommend that an infant stay in
a rear-facing child seat as long as
possible, until they reach the seat maker's weight or height limit and
are able to sit up without support.
Infant Seat Placement

In this vehicle, a rear-facing child seat can be placed in any seating
position in the back seat, but not in
the front seat.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat. If the passenger's
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or seriously injure an infant. If an infant must be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit in
the back seat with the baby.

Do not put a rear-facing child seat in
a forward-facing position. If an

infant faces forward, they could be
very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.

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Driver and Passenger Safety

Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
Always place a rear-facing child seat in the back seat, not the

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Protecting Children

Additional Precautions for Infants
Never hold a baby on your lap. If

you are not wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could be thrown
forward into the dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
baby can be torn from your arms.
For example, if the vehicle crashes
into a parked vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 20 Ib (9 kg) baby will
become a 600-lb (275-kg) force,
and you will not be able to hold it.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a baby. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat Type
A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the child
seat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown. We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until they reach the weightor height limit for the seat.
Child Seat Placement
In this vehicle, the best place to
install a forward-facing child seat is
in one of the seating positions in the
back seat.

Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger airbag can be

hazardous. If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an inflating passenger's airbag canstrike the child with enough force to
cause very serious or fatal injuries. If
a small child must be closely
watched, we recommend that another adult sit in the back seat
with the child.
Driver and Passenger Safety
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Protecting Children

Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in one of the outer
back seats and wear a lap/shoulder belt. The lap/shoulder belt provides
better protection than the lap belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we
recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tall enough to use the seat belt without a

booster.

The following pages give instructions on how to check properseat belt fit, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.
Checking Seat Belt Fit
To determine whether a lap/ shoulder belt properly fits a child,
first have the child put on the seat
belt, following the instructions on
page 13 . Then check how the belt
fits.

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Driver and Passenger Safety

Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the

airbags inflate.
If a larger child must sit in front,

they should move the seat as

far back as possible and wear
their seat belt properly.Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children

Using a Booster Seat
If a child needs a booster seat, we
recommend choosing a style that
allows the child to use the lap/
shoulder belt directly, without a shield, as shown above.
Whichever style you select, follow the booster seat maker's instructions. A child may continue using a booster
until the top of their ears are even
with the top of the seat-back. When a child reaches this height, theyshould be tall enough to use the lap/
shoulder belt without a booster.
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommends that all
children age 12 and under ride in the
back seat, properly restrained.
The back seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger's airbag
poses serious risks to children. If theseat is too far forward, or the child's
head is thrown forward during a collision, or the child is unrestrainedor out of position, an inflating airbag
can kill or seriously injure the child.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can safely ride in the
front, there are other important
factors you should consider.

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Driver and Passenger SafetyMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Steering Wheel Adjustment
See page 16 for important safety

information about how to properly

position the steering wheel.

You can adjust the steering wheel height to suit your preference. Dothis before you begin driving.
1. The lever to tilt the steering wheelis under the steering column to
the left. Push this lever all the way
down.

2. Move the steering wheel to the desired position, making sure the
wheel points toward your chest, not toward your face. Make sure
you can see the instrument panel gauges and the indicator lights. 3. Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
4. Make sure you have securely locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.

Instruments and Controls

Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and be seriously injured in a crash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the vehicle is stopped.Main Menu Table of Contents s t

Seat Adjustments, Folding Rear Seat

The front head restraints adjust for height. You need both hands to
adjust the restraint. Do not attempt
to adjust it while driving. To raise it, pull upward. To lower the restraint,
push the release button sideways and push the restraint down.
To remove a head restraint for cleaning or repair, pull it up as far as
it will go. Push the release buttonand pull the restraint out of the seat-
back. Folding Rear Seat
The back of the rear seat folds down to give you direct access to the
trunk. Each side folds down sepa-
rately. With only half the seat folded,
you can still carry a passenger in the
back seat.
To fold down either side of the seat-back from inside the vehicle, use themaster key in the lock on the rearshelf. To fold down the driver's side,
turn the key clockwise, fold down
the seat-back, then release the key.
To fold down the passenger's side, turn the key counterclockwise and
perform the same procedure.

Instruments and Controls
MASTER KEYMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Accessories and Modifications

Modifications Do not remove any original
equipment or modify your vehicle in
any way that would alter its design or
operation. This could make your
vehicle unsafe and illegal to drive.
For example, do not make any
modifications that would change the
ride height of your vehicle, or install
wheels and tires with a different overall diameter.
Such modifications can adversely
affect handling, and interfere with
the operation of the vehicle's anti-
lock brakes and other systems. In addition, any modifications that
decrease ground clearance increase
the chance of undercarriage parts striking a curb, speed bump, or other
raised object, which could cause
your airbags to deploy.
Do not modify your steering wheelor any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modifications could make the system ineffective. Additional Safety Precaution
Do not attach or place objects on theairbag covers. Any object attached to
or placed on the covers marked "SRS,"
in the center of the steering wheel and on top of the dashboard, could
interfere with the proper operation of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the vehicle and hurt
someone.

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