2001 HONDA INSIGHT Owners Manual

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.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort 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. 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
interf ere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inf late, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone. If your
hands or arms are close to the
airbag covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the airbags inf late.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Do not place hard or sharp object s
bet ween yourself and an airbag.
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts. Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers. K eep your hands and arms away
f rom t he airbag covers.
18

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
protect young passengers.(See page
.)
(See page
.)
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section. Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, 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
inf ants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
29
26
properly
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
Anychildwhoistoosmalltoweara
seat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt .
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Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in acrash.
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.

µAirbags have been designed to help
protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s airbag is quite large,
and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.
If a larger child must ride in
this car, see page f or 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.
In addition, your car has a passenger’s
airbag which poses serious risks to
children particularly inf ants and
small children.
If the vehicle seat is too
farforward,orthechild’sheadis
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can strike the child
with enough f orce to kill or very
seriously injure a small child. If a
small child must ride in this car,
f ollow the instructions on page .
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 saf er when they are
properly restrained in the back seat
of a vehicle. As a result, we urge you to f ollow
these guidelines.
If the airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure an inf ant. 23
29
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
The Passenger’s Airbag Poses
Serious Risks to Children
Your Car is Not Recommended
f or Child PassengersSmall Children
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sairbag.
Larger Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag.
Inf ant s
20

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.
To remind you of the passenger’s
airbag hazards, your car has warning
labels hanging f rom the glove box
andonthedriver’sandpassenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
U.S. Models Canadian Models
21

Leaving a child without adult
supervision is illegal in most states
and Canadian provinces and can
be very hazardous. For example, a
small child lef t in a car on a hot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
car in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others. As discussed on page , because
your car does not have a back seat,
and because of the passenger’s
airbag hazard, we strongly
recommend that you do not carry a
small child as a passenger in this car.
However, if you must carry a small
child in this car, the child must be
properly restrained in a child seat. To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and seat.
The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
a child seat. See page f or
additional information. 20
26
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not leave a child alone in your car. Select ing a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet saf et yst andards.
1.
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Additional Saf ety Precaution 22

A child who can sit
up without support should be
restrained in a f orward-f acing child
seat. See page f or additional
inf ormation on protecting small
children. Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
seating positions in all cars.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat to make sure it f its
properly in the passenger’s seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you will need to buy a
different one that will fit.
However, Honda is conf ident that
one or more child seat models can f it
andbeproperlyinstalledinthiscar.
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CONT INUED
T he child seat should be of the proper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
Small Children: T he child seat should f it the
passenger’s seat .
2.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety23

The passenger’s airbag inf lates
with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.
If a small child must ride in this
car, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section.
A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward,
or the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place a child seat in your car.
Never in the passenger’s
seat, due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard.
Not recommended,
due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride
in this car, move the vehicle seat
to the rear-most position and
secure a f ront-f acing child seat
with the seat belt. (see page ). 27
Placing a Child Seat Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf etyAirbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
24

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:All child seats
must be secured to the car with
the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt.
A child whose seat is not properly
secured to the car can be
endangered in a crash. See page
for instructions on how to
secure a f orward-f acing child seat
in this car.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible.
Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ It may be dif f icult
to install a child seat so that it does
not move at all. Some side-to-side or
back-and-f orth movement can be
expected and should not reduce the
child seat’s ef f ectiveness.
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Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Secure the child seat to the car
wit h a seat belt .
Inst alling a Child Seat
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured. Secure the child in the child seat.
Storing a Child Seat
1.
2. 3.
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