2002 HONDA ODYSSEY belt

The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
These instructions also apply to
children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page f or
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.)Your vehicle has a door and tailgate
monitor light on the instrument
panel to indicate when a specif ic
door or the tailgate is not tightly
closed. Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and
tailgate are closed and locked.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider f rom
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors. For saf ety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the vehicle is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown
out of the vehicle during a crash.
Any driver who sits too close to the
steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel or f rom being
struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Introduction A djust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors
1. 2.
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CONT INUED
See page f or how to adjust the
f ront seats. Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure
the seat is locked in position. Most shorter drivers can get f ar
enough away f rom the steering
wheel and still reach the pedals.
However, if you are concerned about
sitting too close, we recommend that
you investigate whether some type
of adaptive equipment may help.
To reduce the chance of injury, wear
your seat belt properly, sit upright
with your back against the seat, and
movetheseatawayfromthe
steering wheel to the f arthest
distance that allows you to maintain
f ull control of the vehicle. Also make
sure your f ront seat passenger
moves the seat as far to the rear as
possible.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
adjust the seat so the center of the
chest is at least 10 inches (25 cm)
away f rom the center of the steering
wheel.Alsomakesureyourfront
seat passenger moves the seat as f ar
to the rear as possible.
Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel. If you
sit too close to the steering wheel,
you could be injured if the f ront
airbag inflates.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
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Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.

Bef ore driving, make sure everyone
with an adjustable head restraint has
properly positioned the head
restraint. The restraint should be
positioned so the back of the
occupant’s head rests against the
center of the restraint. A taller
person should adjust the restraint as
high as possible.
See page f or how to adjust seat-
backs.
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. A f ront passenger should also adjust
the seat-back to an upright position,
but as f ar f rom the dashboard as
possible. A passenger who sits too
close to the dashboard could be
injured if the f ront airbag inf lates.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
A djust the Head Restraints
4.
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Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjusttheseat-backtoan
upright position and sit well
back in the seat.

CONT INUED
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
thebeltsothelappartfitssnugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
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.
Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants f rom
whiplash and other crash injuries.
See page f or how to adjust the
head restraints. 104
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
5.
Using a L ap/Shoulder Belt
(Except t he cent er posit ion of t hethird row)
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Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned properly
before driving.

This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.
The f ront seats and middle row seats
have adjustable seat belt anchors. To
adjust the height of a seat belt
anchor, press the release button and
slide the anchor up or down as
needed (it has f our positions).
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
spreads the f orces of a crash over
the strongest bones in your upper
body.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
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R RE EL
LEE A
A S
SEE
B
BU UT TT
TO
ON N
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.

Unlatch the metal plate of the
shoulder belt f rom the anchor on the
ceiling and extend the belt by pulling
the metal plate.Attach the metal hook on the edge of
the shoulder belt to the metal loop
on the latch plate of the lap belt
markedCENTER.Makesurethe
shoulder belt is securely attached
and it is not twisted. A twisted belt
can cause serious injuries in a crash.Insert the latch plate of the lap belt
into the buckle marked CENTER. If
the belt is too short, hold the latch
plate at a right angle and pull on the
plate to extend the belt. Then insert
the latch plate into the buckle, and
tug on the lap and shoulder belts to
make sure the belt is securely
latched.
CONT INUED
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using t he L ap/Shoulder Belt in t he
Cent er Posit ion of t he T hird Row
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M M E
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LAA T
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OO OKK
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Position the lap belt as low as
possible across your hips, then pull
on the loose end of the lap belt f or a
snug but comf ortable f it. This lets
your strong pelvic bones take the
f orce of a crash and reduces the
chance of internal injuries.See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts. If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
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.
If necessary, pull up on the shoulder
belt again to remove any slack from
the shoulder belt, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash. 49
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
If a Seat Belt Doesn’t Work Properly
No one should
sit in a seat wit h an inoperat ive seat belt.
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
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Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal
protection f rom the airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.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 f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased. After all 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
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured by
striking interior parts of the vehicle,
or by being struck by an inf lating
f ront airbag. Being struck by an
inf lating side airbag can result inpossibly serious injuries.
Remember, to get the best
protection f rom your vehicle’s
airbags and other safety features,
you must sit properly and wear your
seat belt properly.
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Adjust the Steering Wheel
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19
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.