2001 HONDA PASSPORT Owners Manual

THI
S BROCHUR E WA S PREPARE D T O

ANSWE R YOU R QUESTION S ABOU T
FRONTA L AIRBAGS . PLEAS E TAK E A
FE W MOMENT S T O REA D IT , BECAUS E
W E BELIEV E THA T TH E MOR E YO U
KNO W ABOU T HO W YOU R AIRBAG S
WORK , TH E SAFE R YO U AN D YOU R
PASSENGER S WIL L BE .

Restrain
t Syste m (SRS) . Th e ke y wor d
her e is "supplemental, " becaus e airbag s
ar e designe d t o wor k with , no t replace ,
th e "primary " restrain t syste m — sea t belts .
S o eve n if you r ca r ha s airbags , b e sur e
yo u an d you r passenger s alway s buckl e up .

Together, seat belts and airbags help

restrain and protect front-seat occupants

during a severe frontal collision.

Di
d yo u kno w tha t chance s ar e yo u wil l b e
involte d in a ca r cras h onc e ever y si x years ?
You can't do much to change the odds.
Bu t wit h sea t belt s an d airbags , yo u ca n
greatl y reduc e th e chanc e o f injur y i n a crash .
Sea t belt s ar e you r firs t lin e o f defense .
A properl y wor n sea t bel t ca n hel p protec t
yo u i n al l type s o f collisions , includin g fronta l
crashes , sid e an d rea r impacts , an d rollovers .
Airbag s ca n als o contribut e t o you r safety .
Airbag s ar e par t o f a vehicle' s Supplementa l

In
a 30-mph head-on crash into a barrier, a car stops in
about 1/10t h o f a second—less time than the blink of a n
eye. What happens to an occupant during this time?
However, if the occupant is
wearing a seat belt, the belt will
restrain them and reduce the
chance of injury. An airbag can
further reduce the risk of injuries
to the occupant's head and chest.

Without
a seat belt or an airbag,

the occupant will continue
forward at 30 mph until they

strike the car's interior, and

potentially suffer very serious

injuries.

"Spee
d kills, " a sayin g goes . Whil e th e ris k
o f injur y generall y increase s wit h speed ,
no t al l aut o injurie s occu r a t hig h speeds ,
an d spee d alon e doe s no t caus e injuries . I n
fact , th e mai n caus e o f collisio n injurie s i s
a rapi d decreas e i n speed , o r rapi d

deceleration .

Fo r example, if a ca r collide s head-o n
wit h a soli d barrie r a t 3 0 mph , th e ca r wil l
decelerat e t o a sto p almos t instantly . Sinc e
a perso n insid e th e ca r travel s a s fas t a s th e car
, the y wil l continu e forwar d at 30 mp h
unti l the y ar e stoppe d b y something .
I f a perso n i s no t stoppe d b y a sea t bel t
o r airbag , the y wil l strik e th e interio r o f th e
ca r wit h a forc e equivalen t t o fallin g ou t o f a
third-stor y windo w an d landin g face-firs t o n
pavement . However , i f th e perso n i s wearin g
a sea t belt , th e bel t wil l allo w the m to
decelerat e a t a slowe r rate . An d th e airba g
wil l provid e additiona l protectio n for thei r

hea d an d chest .

If a car crashes head-on into a solid
barrier at 30 mph, an unbelted
occupant can strike the interior of the
car with a force equal to falling out of
a third-story window onto pavement.

Crush
zones, located in the front and rear
of a vehicle, are designed to crumple and
absorb energy in a front or rear-end collision. A
collapsible steering column,
smooth or recessed controls, and
energy-absorbing materials are
part of a car's occupant protection

system.

Seat belts help restrain occupants,
keep them in position, and give
them more time to slow down
in a crash
Airbags
are designed to

give added protection for
the head and chest in a

severe frontal collision.

T
o hel p automobil e occupant s surviv e th e
tremendo s force s o f a crash , vehicl e
designer s hav e develope d numerou s safet y
feature s an d systems .
Fo r example , moder n automobile s hav e
fron t an d rea r "crus h zones " tha t ar e
designe d t o defor m o r crumpl e i n a crash .
Th e crumplin g lengthen s th e duratio n o f th e
crash , an d help s absor b an d dissipat e cras h
energy , whic h lower s th e rat e o f deceleration
i n th e passenge r compartment .
Th e dashboard , seats , headrest s an d othe r
interio r part s o f automobile s als o us e energy -
absorbin
g material s t o hel p protec t th e

occupants . I n addition , th e steerin g colum n i s

designe d t o collaps e i f struc k durin g a

collision .
Sea t belt s hav e prove n t o b e th e singl e
mos t effectiv e devic e i n reducin g automobil e
fatalitie s an d injurie s i n al l type s o f accidents .
Whe n properl y worn , sea t belt s hel p restrai n
occupant s fro m strikin g interio r part s o f th e
car , the y kee p occupant s connecte d t o th e ca r
s o the y ca n tak e advantag e o f th e energ y
absorptio n buil t int o th e car , an d the y
allo w occupant s t o decelerat e mor e slowl y
durin g a crash . Airbag
s ar e a recen t additio n t o a
car' s occupan t protectio n system . Airbag s
hav e a n importan t bu t limite d role—t o
hel p protec t th e head s an d chest s o f
front-sea t occupant s durin g a sever e

fronta l collision .

However , yo u can' t ge t th e ful l

benefi t o f thes e life-savin g feature s

unles s yo u buckl e up . I n short , it' s bette r
t o le t th e ca r absor b th e energy . It' s buil t
t o tak e it .

When
sensors detect a severe frontal

collision, the airbags instantly inflate
to provide extra protection for an

occupant's head and chest.
Afte
r inflating , th e airbag s immediatel y

deflate . Th e entir e proces s o f inflation ,

protection , an d deflatio n take s plac e in a
fractio n o f a second—s o fas t tha t man y
peopl e involve d in accident s sa y the y di d no t
realiz e thei r airba g ha d deploye d unti l the y

sa w th e deflate d ba g lyin g i n fron t o f them .

The

fact
that an airbag can automatically
hel p protec t yo u i s quit e remarkable , ye t th e
underlyin g principl e i s quit e simple .
Whe n a n airba g equippe d ca r i s involve d
i n a sever e fronta l collision , sensor s detec t th e
cras h an d instantl y inflat e th e airbags . Whil e
you r sea t bel t restrain s you r torso , th e airba g
provide s a cushio n fo r you r ches t an d head ,
whic h canno t b e full y restraine d b y a sea t

belt .

SRS
sensors are designed to react to a frontal impact that generates more force than
a 25-mp h head-on crash into a parked vehicle of comparable size and weight.