2000 HONDA PRELUDE weight

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 seat
maker'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 seat
can 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, we
recommend 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.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y
CONTINUED

Placing a rear-facing child seat
i
n 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.

Protectin
g Childre n

4. After confirming that the belt is locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pullup to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, 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 not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat belt, and let the belt fully retract.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Protectin g Smal l Childre n
Child Seat Type
A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the childseat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five- point harness system as shown.
We also recommend that a small child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit for the seat. Child Seat Placement
In this car, the best place to install a
forward-facing child seat is in one of the seating positions in the back seat.

Placing a forward-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger airbag can be

hazardous. If the car seat is too far
forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an inflating passenger's airbag canstrike the child with enough force to
cause very serious or fatal injuries. If
a small child must be closely
watched, we recommend that another adult sit in the back seat
with the child.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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

Key
s an d Lock s

Trun k

You can open the trunk in two ways: Pull the trunk release handle to
the left of the driver's seat.
Use the master key to open the
trunk lock. The valet key does not
work in this lock. To close the trunk, press down on
the trunk lid.
See page 136 for cargo loading and
weight limit information. Keep the trunk lid closed at all times whiledriving to avoid damaging the lid,
and to prevent exhaust gas from
getting into the interior. See Carbon
Monoxid e Hazar d on page 49 . To protect items in the trunk when
you need to give the key to someone
else, lock the trunk release handle

with the master key and give the other person the valet key.
Instrument s an d Control s
MASTE
R KE Y

TRUN K RELEAS E

HANDL E

MASTER KE Y

Fuel Econom y
The condition of your car and your
driving habits are the two most
important things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Vehicl e Conditio n
Always maintain your car according to the maintenance schedule. This
will keep it in top operating condition.
An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owne r Maintenanc e
Check s (see page 179). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out faster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your car's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent cleaning
helps your fuel mileage and reduces
the chance of corrosion. Drivin
g Habit s
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your car uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, toincrease fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to "warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get
better fuel economy. To cut down on the number of "cold starts," try to
combine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes ituse more fuel. Turn off the A/C to
cut down on air conditioning use.Use the flow-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is moderate.
Befor e Drivin g

Carryin
g Carg o

Your car has several convenient storage areas so you can stow cargo

safely.

The glove box, and the pockets in the front doors and seat-back, aredesigned for small, lightweight items.
The trunk is intended for larger, heavier items. In addition, the backseat can be folded down to allow you
to carry more cargo or longer items.
However, carrying too much cargo, or improperly storing it, can affect
your car's handling, stability and operation and make it unsafe. Before
carrying any type of cargo, be sure to
read the following pages.
Before Drivin g

GLOV
E BO X

SEAT-BAC
K POCKE T

TRUN K
FRON
T DOO R POCKE T

CONSOL E COMPARTMEN T