2000 Acura TL airbag

Protecting Adults
Introduction
The following pages provide instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult occupants.
These instructions also apply to children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page 35 for important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger children.)
1.Close and Lock the Doors
After everyone has entered the car, be sure the doors are closed and
locked. Your car has a door monitor light on
the instrument panel to indicate
when a specific door is not tightly closed.
For safety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger, especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and accidentally fall out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown out of the car during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider from
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page 77 for how to lock the
doors. 2.Adjust the Front Seats
Any driver who sits too close to the steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel or from being struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults
To reduce the chance of injury, wearyour seat belt properly, sit upright
with your back against the seat, and
move the seat as far back as possible
from the steering wheel while stillmaintaining full control of the car.
Also make sure your front seat passenger moves the seat as far to
the rear as possible.
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in seriousinjury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible. Most shorter drivers can get far
enough away from the steering
wheel and still reach the pedals. However, if you are concerned about
sitting too close, we recommend that
you investigate whether some type of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and forth to make sure
the seat is locked in position.
See page 89 for how to adjust the
front seats.
3.Adjust the Seat-Backs
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 front 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 tooclose to the dashboard could be
injured if the front airbag inflates.
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Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults
6.Adjust the Steering Wheel
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 68 for how to adjust thesteering wheel. 7.Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
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 front airbag. Being struck by an inflatingside airbag can result in possibly
serious injuries.
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.
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Driver and Passenger Safely

Protecting Adults
Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags and other safety features, you mustsit properly and wear your seat belt
properly. Advice for Pregnant Women
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.
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.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults
Additional Safety Precautions
• Two people should never use thesame seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
•
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.
• Do not place hard or sharp objects
between yourself and a front
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 front airbag inflates.
• 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. • Do not attach hard objects on or
near a front door. If a side airbag
inflates, a cup holder or other hard object attached on or near the
door 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 cover in the center of thesteering wheel or on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the front airbags inflate.
Driver and Passenger Safety
crash.

Protecting Children
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes aresafer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada 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. The Passenger's Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's front 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 front 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 equipped
with a passenger's front 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 front 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
front air bag. Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back seat, properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page 35 for important information about protecting larger
children.)
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Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
U.S. Models
To remind you of the passenger's front airbag hazards, and thatchildren 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.
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur• Children 12 and under can be killed by the air bag• The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for children• NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in the front• Sit as far back as possible from the air bag• ALWAYS use SEAT BELTS and CHILD RESTRAINTS
WARNING
Canadian Models
To remind you of the front airbaghazards, your car has warning labelson the driver's and front passenger's
visors. Please read and follow the instructions on these labels.
CAUTIONTO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY:
• FOR MAXIMUM SAFETY PROTECTION IN ALL TYPES OF CRASHES, YOU MUST
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SAFETY BELT.
• DO NOT INSTALL REARWARD-FACING CHILD SEATS IN ANY FRONTPASSENGER SEAT POSITION.
• DO NOT SIT OR LEAN UNNECESSARILY CLOSE TO THE AIR BAG.
•
DO NOT PLACE ANY OBJECTS OVER THEAIR BAG OR BETWEEN THE AIR BAG
AND YOURSELF.
•
SEE THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR FURTHERINFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS.
PRECAUTION:POUR EVITER DES BLESSURES GRAVES:
• POUR PROFITER DUNE PROTECTION MAXIMALE LORS D'UNE COLLISION BOUCLEZ
TOUJOURS VOTRE CEINTURE DE SECURITE.
• NINSTALLEZ JAMAIS UN SIEGE POUR ENFANTS FAISANT FACE A L ARRIERE SUR
LE SIEGE DU PASSAGER AVANT.
•
NE VOUS APPUYEZ PAS ET NE VOUS ASSEYEZPAS PRES DU COUSSIN GONFLABLE.
• NE DEPOSEZ AUCUN OBJET SUR LE COUSSINGONFLABLE OU ENTRE LE COUSSIN
GONFLABLE ET VOUS.
• LISEZ LE GUIDE UTILISATEUR POUR DE PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Children Can Be KILLED or INJURED
by Passenger Air Bag
The back seat is the safest place for children 12 and under.
Make sure all children use seat belts or child seats.
WARNING

Protecting Children
If You Must Drive with SeveralChildren
Your car has three seating positions in the back seat where children can
be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your car:
• Place the largest child in the front seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 35).
• 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 16).
• Make sure the seat belt is properly positioned and secured (see page
15). If a Child Requires Close
Attention 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 passenger's front airbag, and paying close attention to a childdistracts the driver from the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attentionor frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the backseat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.Additional Safety Precautions
• Use childproof door locks to prevent children from opening thedoors. Using this feature will
prevent children from opening the
doors and accidentally falling out (see page 81 ).
• 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 96 ).
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Driver and Passenger Safety