2002 HONDA PASSPORT Owners Manual

Driver and Passenger Safety30
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child
seat, unlatch the buckle, unroute
the seat belt, and let the belt fully
retract. Installing a Rear-Facing Child
Seat With the Lap Belt
To install a rear-facing child seat
in the center back seat with the
lap belt, follow instruction
number 1 on page 28 for routing
and latching the seat belt. Then
pull hard on the loose end of the belt to remove any slack (it may
help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt).
Finally, follow instruction number
5 on page 29 to verify that the
child seat is secure.

Driver and Passenger Safety31
Rear-Facing 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 vehicle, 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 in the front seat of a vehicle
equipped with a passenger
’s
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
passenger ’ s airbag can strike the

Driver and Passenger Safety32
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.
Improperly placing a
forward-facing child seat in the
front seat can result in serious
injury or death if the airbags
inflate.
If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in the front,
move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible and properly
restrain the child.
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
vehicle, and that the child is
properly strapped in the seat.
Installing a Child Seat With a
Lap/Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
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 a
forward-facing
child seat with this
type of seat belt.
If you have a child seat designed
to attach to the vehicle ’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page 39. See page 34 for how to secure a
forward-facing child seat in the
center back seat with the lap belt.
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 Safety33
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,

Driver and Passenger Safety34
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. Installing a Child Seat With the
Lap Belt
To install a forward-facing child
seat in the center back seat with
the lap belt, follow instruction
number 1 on page 32 for routing
and latching the seat belt. Then
pull hard on the loose end of the
belt to remove any slack (it may
help to put weight on the child
seat while pulling on the belt). Finally, follow instruction number
5 on page 33 to verify that the
child seat is secure.
Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height
limit for a forward-facing child
seat, the child should sit in one of
the outer back seats and wear a
lap/shoulder belt. The
lap/shoulder belt provides better
protection than the lap belt.
If a child is too short for the
shoulder part of the belt to fit
properly, we recommend that the
child use a booster seat until the
child is tall enough to use the seat
belt without a booster.

Driver and Passenger Safety 35
The following pages give
instructions on how to check
proper seat belt fit, what kind of
booster seat to use if one is
needed, and important precautions
for a child who must sit in the
front seat.
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
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.
Checking Seat Belt Fit
To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly fits a child, have the
child put on the seat belt. Follow
the instructions on page 13. 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,
as shown, the child is large
enough to wear the seat belt. 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.

Driver and Passenger Safety36
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.
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
recommends that all children ages
12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.

Driver and Passenger Safety 37
The back seat is the safest place
for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger’s 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 airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
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 page 13 and 36). 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, including sitting
properly, and wearing the seat belt
properly throughout a ride. 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
their seat belts or sit properly.