2000 Acura Integra Sedan Owner's Manual

Protectin
g Adult s

Reclining a seat-back so that the shoulder 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 76 for how to adjust seat-

backs.
4.Adjus
t th e Hea d Restraint s
Before driving, make sure everyone
with an adjustable head restraint has properly positioned the head
restraint. The restraint should bepositioned 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 77 for how to adjust the
head restraints.

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. 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

Using a Lap/Shoulder Belt

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.

CONTINUED
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

If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height. To adjust the height of a front seat
belt anchor, squeeze the two release
buttons and slide the anchor up or down as needed (it has four
positions).

Never place the shoulder portion of alap/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.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

RELEAS
E

BUTTO N

RELEAS E

BUTTO N

Protectin
g Adult s

Position the belt as low as possible
across your hips. This lets your
strong pelvic bones take the force of
a crash and reduces the chance of
internal injuries.
Pull on the loose end of the belt for asnug but comfortable fit. If a Seat Belt Doesn't Work Properly
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the occupant 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.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Adult s

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 65 for how to adjust the
steering wheel.
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. For
example, 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 by
striking 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 car.
We recommend that pregnant women use a lap/shoulder belt
whenever possible. Remember tokeep 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 operation of 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 thesteering 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.
Al
l 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
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 properlyrestrained with a seat belt.