2003 Acura CL belt

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
.)
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.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section. (See page .)
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36
properly
All Children Must Be Restrained
Anychildwhoistoosmalltowearaseat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt and use aboost er, if needed.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20
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.

During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries. 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 the back seat.
In the 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.
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.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand an inf ant or child.
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
21

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, in a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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.
Larger ChildrenChildren who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
22

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.
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 the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
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
). 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.
Your car has two seating positions in
the back seat where children can be
properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
twochildreninyourcar:
Children who play in cars can
accidentally get trapped inside the
trunk and be seriously injured or
could die. Teach your children not
to play in or around cars. Know
how to operate the emergency
trunk opener (US models only)
and decide if your children should
be shown how to use this f eature
(see page ).
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15 13
36
89
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
If You Must Drive with Several
Children Additional Saf ety Precautions
Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle.
Lock both doors and the trunkwhen your car is not in use.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety24

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
dif f erent one that will f it.
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.
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. 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 car.
32T he child seat should f it the vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
Small Children: 3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety26

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 car.
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.
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 f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child. 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 ).
Recommended positions.
Secure a rear-f acing child seat
with the seat belt (see page ).
Recommended
positions. Secure a f ront-f acing
child seat with the seat belt (see
page ). 34
30
34
Placing a Child Seat Front Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Back Seat sInf ant s:
Small children:
Airbags Pose SeriousRisks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ In some vehicles
or seating positions, it may be
dif f icult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to-
side or back-and-f orth movement can
be expected and should not reduce
the child seat’s ef f ectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured
in the desired seating position. When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
All child seats are
designed to be secured to the car
with the lap part of a lap/shoulder
belt. Some child seats can be
secured to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system instead. A child
whose seat is not properly secured
to the car can be endangered in a
crash. See pages , and for
instructions on how to properly
secure child seats in this car.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. 30
34 41
Inst alling a Child Seat Secure t he child in t he child seat .
Storing a Child Seat
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the car.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured.
1.
2. 3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28

With the child seat in the desired
back seating position, route the
belt through the child seat
according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
Af ter 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.
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
seats have a locking mechanism that
must be activated to secure a child
seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions and tips on how to
secure a rear-f acing 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 .
1.
2.
3.
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Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety30