2000 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

Protecting Adults
Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against
the occupant's chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt.
It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt
in a crash
and being seriously injured.
The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.
14 Driver and Passenger Safety
Reclining the seat-back too far
can
result in serious injury or
death
in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position and sit
well
back in the seat.
See page 68 for how to adjust seat­
backs.

4.Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Also check
that the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part fits snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack from the
shoulder part, then check that the
belt rests across the center of your
chest and over your shoulder. This
Protecting Adults
spreads the forces of a crash over
the strongest bones
in your upper
body.
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death
in a crash.
Make sure
all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.
Never place the shoulder portion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could cause
very serious injuries
in a crash.
CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety 15

Protecting Adults
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect
the
occupant in a crash. No one should
sit in a seat with an inoperative seat
belt. Anyone using a seat belt that is
not working properly can be
seriously injured or killed. Have your
Honda dealer check
the belt as soon
as possible.
See page 33 for additional
information about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts.
16 Driver and Passenger Safety
5.Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
After 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 can be seriously or fatally
injured by striking interior parts of
the car, or by being struck by an
inflating airbag.
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.
Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags
and other safety features, you must
sit 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 vehicle.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as
low as possible across
your hips.
Protecting Adults
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 17

Protecting Adults
Additional Safety Precautions
• Two people should never use the
same seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
• 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.
18 Driver and Passenger Safety
• Do not place hard or sharp objects
between yourself and an 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
airbags inflate.
• Keep your hands and arms away
from the airbag covers. If your
hands or arms are close to the
SRS
covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured
if
the airbags inflate.
• Do not attach or place objects on
the 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.

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section.
Children who are unrestrained
or
improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any
child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt.
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injured .
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages
12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
Any child who is too small to wear a
seat belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. (See page
26 .)
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See page
29 .)
Driver and Passenger Safety 19

Protecting Children
Your Car is Not Recommended
for Child Passengers
We strongly recommend that you do
not carry any child in this car.
One reason is that your car does not
have a back seat, and accident
statistics show that a child of any
size or age is safer when they are
properly restrained
in the back seat
of a vehicle.
In addition, your car
has a passenger's
air bag which poses serious risks to
children-particularly infants and
small children.
20 Driver and Passenger Safety
The Passenger's Airbag Poses
Serious Risks to Children
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.
As a result, we urge you to follow
these guidelines.
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat of a car equipped with
a
passenger's airbag. If the air bag
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
f01ward-facing child seat in
the front seat of a car equipped with
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.
If a
small child must ride
in this car,
follow the instructions on page
23 .
Larger Children
Children who
have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured
or killed by an inflating passenger's
airbag. If a larger child must ride in
this car, see page 29 for important
guidelines on how to decide whether
a child is large enough and mature
enough to ride as a passenger, and
how to properly protect the child.

U.S. Models
To remind you of the passenger's
airbag hazards, your car
has warning
labels on the dashboard and on the
driver's and passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
A WARNING
®
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur • Children 12 and under can be krlled by the rur bag • NEVER pula rear-facrng chrld seat rn lhe front • Sri as far back as possrble !rom !he arr bag • ALWAYS use SEAT BELTS and CHILD RESTRAINTS
A WARNING
Children Can Be KILLED or INJURED
by Passenger Air Bag
MaKe sure all cnildren use sea! bells or cnild seals.
Canadian Models
To remind you of the airbag hazards,
your car has warning labels on the
driver's and passenger's visors.
Please read and follow
the
instructions on these labels.
CAUTION TO 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 FRONT
PASSENGER SEAT POSITION.
•
DO NOT SIT OR LEAN UNNECESSARILY
CLOSE TO THE AIR BAG. • DO NOT PLACE ANY OBJECTS OVER THE AIR BAG OR BETWEEN THE AIR BAG
AND YOURSELF.
• SEE THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS.
Protecting Children
PRECAUTIONS:
POUR EVITER DES BLESSURES GRAVES:
• POUR PROFITER D'UNE PROTECTIOON
~~3j~t~Es ~cffR~· ~NEE?N~LQ-~~~~ ~~~~~T~E. • NINSTALLEZ JAMAIS UN SIEGE POUR ENFANTS FAISANT FACE A L'ARRIERE SUR LE SIEGE DU PASSAGER AVANT.
• NE VOUS APPUYEZ PAS ET NE VOUS ASSOYEZ
PAS PRES DU COUSSIN GONFLABLE. • NE DEPOSEZ AUCUN OBJET SUR LE COUSSIN GONFLABLE OU ENTRE LE COUSSIN GONFLABLE ET VOUS. e LISEZ LE GUIDE UTILISATEUR POUR DE PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS.
Driver and Passenger Safety 21