2000 HONDA PRELUDE belt

Protecting Childre n

If it is necessary to
put a forward-
facing child seat in the front, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the car, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
Child Seat Installation

The lap/shoulder belts in the back and front passenger seating positions
have a locking mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat.
The following pages provide instructions on how to secure a
forward-facing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
1. With the child seat in the desiredback seating position, route thebelt through the child seat
according to the seat maker's instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front seat can result in serious injury
or death if the airbags inflate.
If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as possible and properly restrain
the child.

Protecting Childre n

2. To activate the lockabl
e retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops, then let the belt feed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
3. After the belt has retracted, tug on it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps. 4. After confirming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull up to remove any slack from thelap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It may help to put weight on the
child seat, or push on the back of the seat, while pulling up on the
belt. 5. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough to stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is notsecure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.

CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

To deactivate the locking mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract. Additional Precautions for Small
Children
Never hold a small child 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
child can be torn from your arms during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 30-lb (14 kg) child will become a
900-lb (410 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold on.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a child. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.
Protectin
g Large r Childre n
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in one of the backseats and wear a lap/shoulder 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.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Checking Seat Belt Fit

To determine if a lap/shoulder belt properly fits a child, have the childput on the seat belt. Follow the
instructions on page 16 . Then check
how the belt fits. If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child's collarbone and
against the center of the chest, as
shown, the child is large enough to
wear the seat belt. However, if the belt touches or
crosses the child's neck, the child
needs to use a booster seat.
Do not let a child wear a seat belt
across the neck. This could result in
serious neck injuries during a crash.
Do not let a child put the shoulder
part of a seat belt behind the back or under the arm. This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash. It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured.
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
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,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible and wears the seat belt properly.

Protectin
g Childre n

Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability of the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.

Two children should never use the

same seat belt. If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
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.
Whichever style you select, follow the booster seat maker's instructions. A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of the ears are
even with the top of the seat-back. A
child of this height should be tall
enough to use the lap/shoulder belt
without a booster.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
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 the seat is too far forward, or the child's
head is thrown forward during a
collision, or the child is unrestrained or 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. Physical Size
Physically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit over the hips, chest, and shoulder (see pages 16 and 37). If
the seat belt does not fit properly,
the child should not sit in the front.

Maturity

To safely ride in front, a child must be able to follow the rules, includingsitting properly and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
If you decide that a child can safely

ride up front, be sure to:
Carefully read the owner's manual
and make sure you understand all seat belt instructions and all safety

information.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-

most position.
Have the child sit up straight, back

against the seat, and feet on or

near the floor.
Check that the child's seat belt is

properly positioned and secured.
Supervise the child. Even mature

children sometimes need to be
reminded to fasten the seat belts

or sit properly.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s

Sea t Bel t Syste m Component s

Your seat belt system includes lap/ shoulder belts in all four seating

positions.

The seat belt system alsoincludes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to fasten your belts. If the driver's seat belt is not
fastened before the ignition is turned ON (II), the light will come on and a
beeper will also sound. The beeper
will stop after a few seconds, but the
light will stay on until the driver's seat belt is fastened.
Lap/Shoulde
r Bel t

This seat belt has a single belt that goes over your shoulder, across yourchest and across your hips. To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is

latched.

To unlock the belt, push the red PRESS button on the buckle.
Guide the belt across your body to
the door pillar. After exiting the car, be sure the belt is out of the way and
will not get closed in the door.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s

All seat belts have an emergency locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move freely in
your seat while it keeps some tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
The seat belts in all seating positions except the driver's have an additional
locking mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages 30 and 34 for instructions on
how to secure child seats with this
type of seat belt.)
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move freely. To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt fully retract. To
refasten the belt, pull it out only as
far as needed.
See page 16 for instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y