2001 HONDA ACCORD COUPE Owners Manual

Protecting Children

2. To activate the lockable 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 aclicking 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 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.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Rear-Facing Child Seat Installation Tips
For proper protection, an infant must
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby's doctor or follow the seat maker's
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat, as shown. Protecting Small Children
Child Seat Type
A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the child
seat 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'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 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
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
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 aforward-facing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
If you have a child seat designed to
attach to the vehicle's lower
anchorages, follow the instructions
on page 39 . 1. With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker's instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the buckle.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front seat can result in serious injuryor death if the front 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 Children

2. To activate the lockable 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 the
lap 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 not

secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to

retract fully, then repeat these

steps.

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.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in the back seat 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 the child is 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 boosterseat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for a child
who must sit in the front seat.
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 15 . 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, asshown, the child is large enough to
wear the seat belt.

Driver and Passenger Safety
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the

passenger's front airbag inflates.
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.

Protecting Children
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.
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.

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

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. 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 front
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 front airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
The side airbag also poses risks. If any part of a larger child's body is in
the path of a deploying airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries. 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 15 and 34 ). 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.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

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. Using Child Seats with Tethers
Your car has three tether anchorage
points under the rear window for securing a tether-style child seat to
the car.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available.

CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety