2000 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

Important Safety Precautions
You'll find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Always WearY our Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only
in a
moderate to severe frontal collision.
So even though your car is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passenger always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page
15 ) .
Your Car is Not Recommended
for Child Passengers
Since all children are safest in the
back seat of a car, and your car does
not have a back seat, we recommend
that you
do not carry a child
passenger.
Due to the passenger's
6 Driver and Passenger Safety
airbag hazard, you should never
carry an infant in a rear-facing child
seat in this car. If a small child who
must be restrained in a forward­
facing child seat, or a larger child,
must ride
in this car, be sure to
follow
all instructions and safety
warnings
in this manual. (See pages
26 and 29.)
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest
risk Be
sure to follow
all instructions and
warnings
in this manual. (See page
7 .)
Don't Drink and Drive
Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with every
additional
drink So don't drink
and drive, and don't let your friends
drink and drive, either.
Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the
greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur
at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Car in Safe Condition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous.
To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform
all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page 146
.)

Your Car's Safety Features
Your car is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passenger
during a crash.
Some safety features
do not require
any action on your part. These
include a strong steel framework
that forms a safety cage around the
passenger compartment; front and
rear crush zones that are designed to
crumple and absorb energy during a
crash; a collapsible steering column;
and seat belt tensioners that
automatically tighten the seat belts
in the event of a crash.
These safety features are designed
to reduce the severity of injuries
in a
crash. However, you and your
passenger can't take full advantage
of these safety features unless you
remain sitting in a proper position
and
always wear your seat belts
properly. In fact, some safety
features can contribute to injuries
if
they are not used properly.
Driver and Passenger Safety 7

Your Car's Safety Features
Seat Belts
For your safety, and the safety of
your passenger, your car is equipped
with seat belts in both seating
positions.
ITl Your seat belt system also
L:::D:..J includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passenger to fasten your seat
belts.
Why Wear Seat Belts
Seat belts have proven to be the
single most effective safety device.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance
of serious
injury or death
in a crash, even
though your car has airbags.
8 Driver and Passenger Safety
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death
in a crash, even
if you have airbags.
Be sure you and your
passenger
always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
When properly worn, seat belts:
• Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage
of the
vehicle's built-in safety features.
• Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including side and
rear impacts and rollovers. (Your
air bag can only
be helpful in a moderate
to severe frontal
collision.)
• Help keep you from being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
• Keep you from being thrown out
of the vehicle.
• Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury from an inflating air bag, and
allows you to
get the best
advantage from
the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you
in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
What you should do: Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly.

Airbags
Your car has a Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) with frontal
airbags to help protect the driver and
a passenger.
~ This system also includes
~ an indicator light on the
instrument panel to alert you to a
possible problem with the system.
The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
• Airbags do not replace seat belts.
The seat belts are the occupants'
primary protection in all types of
collisions. Airbags supplement
seat belts
by providing extra
protection for occupants' heads
and chests.
• Airbags offer no protection in side
impacts, rear impacts, rollovers,
or
minor collisions. Air bags are
designed to deploy only during a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.
Your Car's Safety Features
• Airbags can pose serious hazards.
To do their job, airbags must
inflate with tremendous force and
speed.
So while airbags save lives,
they can cause serious injuries to
adults and larger children who are
not wearing seat belts, are not
wearing
them properly, are sitting
too close to the airbag,
or are not
sitting in a proper position. Infants
and small children are at an even
greater risk of injury or death.
What
you should do: Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel
or
dashboard.
Driver and Passenger Safety 9

Your Car's Safety Features
Seats & Seat-Backs
Your car's seats are designed to keep
you in a comfortable, upright
position so you can take full
advantage of
the protection offered
by seat belts and the energy
absorbing materials in
the seats.
How you adjust your seats and seat­
backs can also affect your safety.
For
example, sitting too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard
increases the risk of you
or your
passenger being injured by striking
the inside of the car, or by an
inflating airbag.
Reclining a seat-back too far reduces
the seat belt's effectiveness and
increases
the chance that the seat's
occupant
will slide under the seat
belt
in a crash and be seriously
injured.
10 Driver and Passenger Safety
What you should do: Move the seats
as far back as possible, and keep
adjustable seat-backs in an upright
position whenever
the car is moving.
Head Restraints
Head restraints can help protect you
from whiplash and other injuries.
Door Locks
Keeping your doors locked reduces
the chance of being thrown out of
the car during a crash.
It also helps
prevent occupants from accidentally
opening a door and falling out, and
outsiders from unexpectedly opening
your doors.

Pre-Drive Safety Checklist
To make sure you and your
passenger get the maximum
protection from your car's safety
features, check the following each
time before you drive
away:
• You and any adult passenger, or a
larger child who has outgrown
child seats, are wearing your seat
belts and wearing
them properly
(see page
15 ) .
• A small child riding in a forward­
facing child seat is properly
restrained (see page
26).
• Occupants are sitting upright and
as far back as possible from
the
steering wheel and dashboard
(see page
12 ) .
• Seat-backs are upright (see page
13 ).
• Both doors are closed and locked
(see page
12 ).
• All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page 124).
The rest of this section gives more
detailed information about how you
can maximize your safety.
Remember, however, that
no safety
system can prevent
all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the air bags deploy.
Your Car's Safety Features
Driver and Passenger Safety 11

Protecting Adults
Introduction
The following pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect adult occupants.
These instructions also apply to a
child whom you have decided is
large enough and mature enough to
ride as a passenger. (See page
29 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.
12
Driver and Passenger Safety
~ 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
58 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 airbag during a
crash.

To reduce the chance of injury, wear
your 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 still
maintaining full control of the car.
Also make sure your passenger
moves the seat as far to
the rear as
possible.
Sitting too close to an airbag
can
result in serious injury or
death it the airbags
inflate.
Always
sit as tar back from the
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 68 for how to adjust the
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 you
sit too close to the steering wheel,
you could be injured
if the airbag
inflates.
Protecting Adults
A passenger should also adjust the
seat-back to an upright position, but
as far from
the dashboard as
possible. A passenger who sits too
close to the dashboard could be
injured if the airbag inflates.
CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety 13