2002 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

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
other children in your vehicle, be
sure to read this section. 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. 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.
38
26
properly
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 .
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety21
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.
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According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the f ront seat. The
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
In a back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inf lating airbag
when they ride in the back.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward into the
dashboard and crush the child.
If youarewearingaseatbelt,the
child can be torn f rom your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a
20-lb (9 kg) inf ant will become a
600-lb (275 kg) f orce, and you will
not be able to hold on. Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and an inf ant or child.
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety22
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Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) 38
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
Inf ant s Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Larger Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety23
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To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in a back seat, your vehicle has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.To remind you of the f ront airbag
hazards, your vehicle has warning
labels on the driver’s and f ront
passenger’s visors. Please read and
f ollow the instructions on these
labels.
U.S. Models
Canadian Models
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety24
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Using this f eature will
prevent children f rom opening the
doors and accidentally f alling out
(see page ).
Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Your vehicle has two rows of back
seats where children can be properly
restrained.
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page ).
If you ever have to carry a group of
children (when carpooling f or
example), and a child must ride in
front:
Using
this f eature will prevent children
f rom playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page ).
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards f rom
the passenger’s f ront airbag, and
paying close attention to a child
distracts the driver f rom the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in a back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
12
15 38
18 88
100
CONT INUED
Additional Saf ety Precautions
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Use childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t hedoors.
Use t he main power windowswit ch t o prevent children f romopening t he rear windows.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety25
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Childrenuptoaboutone
year old should be restrained in a
rear-f acing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-f acing seat provides the
proper support to protect an inf ant’s
head, neck, and back. See page for additional information on
protecting inf ants.
The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
child seats f or inf ants and small
children.
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.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. And
children lef t alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
30Inf ant s:
Select ing a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet saf et yst andards.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle.
1.2.
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety26
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A child who is too
large f or a rear-f acing child seat, and
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
vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is conf ident that one
or more child seat models can f it and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your vehicle.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specif ic vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you may need to buy a
different one that will fit.
35Small Children: T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27
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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.
If a small child must ride in the
f ront, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section.
This page brief ly summarizes Acura’s
recommendations on where to place
rear-f acing and f orward-f acing child
seats in your vehicle.
The passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates with enough f orce to kill
or seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat. Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facingchild
seat (see page ).
Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see page ). Never in the f ront seat, due
to the f ront airbag hazard.
Not recommended,
due to the f ront airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in f ront,
move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position and secure a f ront-
f acing child seat with the seat belt
(see page ).
36
31
36
Placing a Child Seat
Front Passenger’s Seat
Back Seat sInf ant s:
Small children:
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Airbags Pose SeriousRisks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28
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