2000 Acura Integra Sedan Owner's Manual

Protecting
Childre n

Childre n Shoul d Si t i n th e Bac k

Sea t

According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration recommend that all children ages 12 and under be
properly restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back. Th
e Passenger' s Airba g Pose s
Seriou s Risk s t o Childre n
Airbags have been designed to help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's airbag is quite large, and it inflates with tremendous
speed.

Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's airbag. If the

airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an infant.
Small Children

Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equippedwith a passenger's 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 airbag can strike the child
with enough force to kill or very seriously injure a small child.

Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured or killed by an inflating passenger's

airbag. Whenever possible, larger

children should sit in the back seat,
properly restrained with a seat belt. (See page 37 for important
information about protecting larger
children.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

U.S. Models
To remind you of the passenger's airbag hazards, and that children
must be properly restrained in the
back seat, your car has warning
labels on the dashboard and on the
driver's and front passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels. I
f Yo u Mus t Driv e wit h Severa l
Childre n
Your vehicle has three seating positions in the back seat wherechildren can be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your vehicle:
Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 37 ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page 12).
Have the child sit upright and well
back in the seat (see page 18). Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page 15).

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

I f a Chil d Require s Clos e
Attentio n
Many parents say they prefer to put an infant or small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.

Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards from
the airbag, and paying close attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention or frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front. Additiona
l Safet y Precaution s
Use childproof door locks to

prevent children from opening the
doors. Using this feature will
prevent children from opening the doors and accidentally falling out (see page 73 ).
Use the main power window

switch to prevent children from

opening the rear windows. Using

this feature will prevent children
from playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page 79 ).
Do not leave children alone in your

vehicle. Leaving children without

adult supervision is illegal in most states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, infants and small children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. And
children left alone with the key in the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Genera l Guideline s fo r Usin g
Chil d Seats
The following pages give general
guidelines for selecting and installing
child seats for infants and small children.
Selecting a Child Seat
To provide proper protection, a child seat should meet three
requirements:

1. The child seat should meet safety
standards. The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer's statement
of compliance on the box and seat.
2. The child seat should be of the proper type and size to fit the child. Infants: Children up to about one
year old should be restrained in a
rear-facing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-facing seat provides the
proper support to protect an infant's
head, neck, and back. See page 29 for additional information on
protecting infants. Small Children: A child who is too
large for a rear-facing child seat, and who can sit up without support,
should be restrained in a forward- facing child seat. See page 33 for
additional information on protecting
small children.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

3. The child seat should fit the vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used,
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is confident that one
or more child seat models can fit and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your car. Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not fit, you may need to buy a different one that will fit.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Placing a Child Seat

This page briefly summarizes Acura's recommendations on where to place
rear-facing and forward-facing child

seats in your car.
Front Passenger's Seat

Infants: Never in the front seat, due

to the passenger's airbag hazard.

Small children: Not recommended,
due to the passenger's airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride
in front, move the vehicle seat to
the rear-most position and secure a front-facing child seat with the
seat belt (see page 34).

Back Seats

Infants: Recommended positions.
Secure a rear-facing child seat

with the seat belt (see page 30).

Small children: Recommended
positions. Secure a front-facing
child seat with the seat belt (see
page 34).

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

CONTINUED
Airbag
s Pos e Seriou s
Risk s t o Childre n
The passenger's airbag inflates with enough force to kill or seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a forward-facing
child seat is also at risk. If the vehicle seat is too far forward,
or the child's head is thrown
forward during a collision, an
inflating airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions
provided in this section.

Protectin
g Childre n

Installing a Child Seat
After selecting a proper child seat, and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in installing the seat:

1. Secure the child seat to the car
with a seat belt. All child seats
must be secured to the car with
the lap belt or the lap part of a lap/ shoulder belt. A child whose seat
is not properly secured to the car can be endangered in a crash. See
pages 30 and 34 for instructions on
how to secure child seats in this car.

2. Make sure the child seat is firmly
secured. After installing a child

seat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure. To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as firmly as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be "rock solid." In some vehicles or seating positions, it may bedifficult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to-
side or back-and-forth movement can
be expected and should not reduce
the child seat's effectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a different seating
position, or use a different style of child seat that can be firmly secured
in the desired seating position. 3. Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure the child is properly
strapped in the child seat
according to the child seat maker's
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat can be thrown out of the seat in a
crash and seriously injured.
Storing a Child Seat When you are not using a child seat, either remove it and store it in a safe
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Protectin g Infant s

Child Seat Type

Only a rear-facing child seat provides
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 be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat
until the infant reaches the seatmaker's weight or height limit and is
able to sit up without support.
Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement

In this car, a rear-facing child seatcan 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, werecommend 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 placed
facing forward, an infant could be
very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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
front.