2003 HONDA ACCORD child seat

Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page
.)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in the back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page .)
You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your car is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passengers always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page .)
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.7
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21 248
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
Restrain All Children K eep Your Car in Saf e Condition
Don’t Drink and Drive
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In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
When properly worn, seat belts:Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers.
Foryoursafety,andthesafetyof
your passengers, your car is
equipped with seat belts in all seating
positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your car has airbags.
Your seat belt system also
includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your seat
belts.
These saf ety f eatures are designed
to reduce the severity of injuries in a
crash. However, you and your
passengers can’t take f ull advantage
of these saf ety f eatures unless you
remain sitting in a proper position
and
In f act, some saf ety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
Keep you connected to the car so
you can take advantage of the car’s
built-in saf ety f eatures.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
always wear your seat belts
properly.
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Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
if you have airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
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Frontseatoccupantsaresitting
upright and as f ar back as possible
f rom the steering wheel and
dashboard (see page ).
Seat-backs are upright (see page).
Head restraints are properly
adjusted (see page ).
All doors are closed and locked
(see page ).
All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page ).
To make sure you and your
passengers get the maximum
protection f rom your car’s saf ety
f eatures, check the f ollowing each
time before you drive away:
All adults, and children who have
outgrown child saf ety seats, are
wearing their seat belts and
wearingthemproperly(seepage ).
Any inf ant or small child is
properly restrained in a child seat
inthebackseat(seepage ).
Move the f ront
seats as far back as possible, and
keep adjustable seat-backs in an
upright position whenever the car is
moving.
Head restraints can help protect you
f rom whiplash and other injuries. For
maximum protection, the back of
your head should rest against the
center of the head restraint.
Keeping your doors locked reduces
thechanceof beingthrownoutof
the car during a crash. It also helps
prevent occupants f rom accidentally
opening a door and f alling out, and
outsiders f rom unexpectedly opening
your doors. 15
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214
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist
Head Restraints
Door L ocksWhat you should do:
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For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider f rom
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
Your car has a door monitor light on
the instrument panel to indicate
when a specif ic door is not tightly
closed.
For saf ety, locking the doors reduces
thechancethatapassenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
thechanceof someonebeingthrown
out of the car during a crash.
See page f or how to lock the
doors.
Af ter everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked.
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.)
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Close and L ock the Doors
Introduction 1.
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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. 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.
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.
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.
Protecting Adults
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19
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(See page
.)
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.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section. Each year, many children are injured
or killed in car crashes because they
are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, car
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
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 car.
(See page .)
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properly
CONT INUED
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
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.
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Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in acrash.
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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If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward into the
dashboard and crush the child.
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.
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 youarewearingaseatbelt,the
child can be torn f rom your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked car
at 30 mph (48 km/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. If the airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure an inf ant.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand an inf ant or child. Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag.Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
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To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in the back seat, your car has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.
If the car seat is too far
f orward, 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. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) 36
CONT INUED
Small Children
Larger Children U.S. Models
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s f ront airbag can behazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety23
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