2003 Acura CL 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.)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 car is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown
out of the car during a crash. Your car has a door monitor light on
the instrument panel to indicate
when a specif ic door is not tightly
closed. Af ter everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked.
36 82
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Introduction
Close and L ock the Doors
1.
12

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.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 car.
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.
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.91
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Adjust the Front Seats
2.
13
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.

See page f or how to adjust seat-
backs.
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.
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.
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. 92
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
14
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position and sit well
back in the seat.

CONT INUED
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.
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. 95
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
A djust the Head Restraints
5.
4.
15
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.

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
Acura dealer check the belt as soon
as possible. This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
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.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries. 43
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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.
16
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel. Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal
protection f rom the airbag.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
car is parked and the engine is of f .
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.
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 car, or
by being struck by an inf lating f ront
airbag. Being struck by an inflating
side airbag can result in possibly
serious injuries.
76
CONT INUED
Adjust the Steering Wheel Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety17
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.

Because protecting the mother is the
best way to protect her unborn child,
a pregnant woman should always
wear a seat belt whenever she drives
or rides in a car.Pregnant women should also sit
upright and as f ar back as possible
f rom the steering wheel or
dashboard. This will reduce the risk
of injuries to both the mother and
her unborn child that can be caused
by a crash or an inf lating airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as low as possible across
your hips.
Remember, to get the best
protection f rom your car’s airbags
and other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt
properly.
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety18

If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. 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 f ront airbag inf lates.
If your
hands or arms are close to the
airbag cover in the center of the
steering wheel or on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the front airbag inflates.
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.
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. If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
Additional Saf ety Precautions
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt . Do not place hard or sharp object s
bet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
K eep your hands and arms awayf rom t he airbag covers.
Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers.
Do not put any accessories on seat
belts. Do not at t ach hard object s on or
near a door.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19