2000 Acura Integra Hatchback Owner's Manual

Protectin
g Adult s

3 . Adjus t th e Seat-Back s
Adjust the driver's seat-back to a comfortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel. If yousit too close to the steering wheel,
you could be injured if the airbag
inflates.
A front passenger should also adjust
the seat-back to an upright position,
but as far from the dashboard as
possible. A passenger who sits too close to the dashboard could be
injured if the airbag inflates.
Reclining a seat-back so that theshoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant's chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury. See page 79 for how to adjust seat-

backs.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Reclining the seat-back too far

can result in serious injury or

death in a crash.

Adjust the seat-back to an

upright position and sit well

back in the seat.

Protectin
g Adult s

4 . Adjus t th e Hea d Restraint s
Before driving, make sure everyone
with an adjustable head restraint has properly positioned the headrestraint. The restraint should be
positioned so the back of the occupant's head rests against the
center of the restraint. A taller
person should adjust the restraint as
high as possible. Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants from whiplash and other crash injuries.
See page 82 for how to adjust the
head restraints.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y
Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned properly

before driving.

Protectin
g Adult s

5 . Faste n an d Positio n th e Sea t
Belt s
Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Also check
that the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious injuries in a crash.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips, then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part fits snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries. If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack from the
shoulder part, then check that the
belt rests across the center of your chest and over your shoulder. This
spreads the forces of a crash over
the strongest bones in your upper

body.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury

or death in a crash.

Make sure all seat belts are

properly positioned before

driving.

Protectin
g Adult s

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.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect theoccupant in a crash. No one should
sit in a seat with an inoperative seat

belt. Anyone using a seat belt that is
not working properly can be seriously injured or killed. Have your
Acura dealer check the belt as soon
as possible.
See page 42 for additional
information about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts.
6
. Adjus t th e Steerin g Whee l

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed, so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your face.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal protection from the airbag.
See page 66 for how to adjust the
steering wheel.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Adult s

7 . Maintai n a Prope r Sittin g
Positio n
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the car is parked and the engine is off.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. Forexample, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased. In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the front seat can be seriously or fatally injured bystriking interior parts of the car, or
by being struck by an inflating airbag.
Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags and other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt

properly.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Sitting improperly or out of

position can result in serious

injury or death in a crash.

Always sit upright, well back in

the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

Protectin
g Adult s

Advic e fo r Pregnan t Wome n
Because protecting the mother is the
best way to protect her unborn child, a pregnant woman should always
wear a seat belt whenever she drives or rides in a vehicle.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as low as possible across
your hips. Pregnant women should also sit
upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or dashboard. This will reduce the risk
of injuries to both the mother and
her unborn child that can be caused
by a crash or an inflating airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it's okay for you to drive. Additiona
l Safet y Precaution s
Two people should never use the

same seat belt. If they do, they

could be very seriously injured in a

crash.
Do not put any accessories on seat

belts. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
severely compromise the
protective capability of the seat
belt and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Adult s

Do not place hard or sharp objects
between yourself and an airbag.

Carrying hard or sharp objects on
your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp object in your mouth,
can result in injuries if your airbags inflate.
Do not attach or place objects on

the front airbag covers. Any object

attached to or placed on the covers
marked "SRS AIRBAG," in the
center of the steering wheel and on top of the dashboard could
interfere with the proper operationof the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.

Keep your hands and arms away

from the airbag covers. If your

hands or arms are close to the airbag covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if the airbags inflate.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section. All
Childre n Mus t B e Restraine d
Each year, many children are injured or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.

Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt should be properly

restrained in a child seat. (See page
25.)
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See page
37.)
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Children who are unrestrained

or improperly restrained can be

seriously injured or killed in a

crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properlyrestrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt.