2003 HONDA CIVIC COUPE airbag

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Af ter everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked.
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.
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.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.
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Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Close and L ock the Doors A djust the Front Seats
1. 2.
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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.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure
the seat is locked in position.
See page f or how to adjust the
f ront seats.
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.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.
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.
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Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety14
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.
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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.
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. See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts.
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A djust the Steering Wheel
6.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
No one should
sit in a seat wit h an inoperat ive seat belt.
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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.
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.
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
7.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety18
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 thefloor.
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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.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
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.
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.
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Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Advice f or Pregnant Women Additional Saf ety Precautions
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts.
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Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp objects in
your mouth, can result in injuries
if your f ront airbag inf lates.
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. If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
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.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not place hard or sharp object s
bet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
Do not at t ach or place object s onthe f ront airbag covers. On models wit h side airbags, do
not at t ach hard object s on or neara f ront door.
K eep your hands and arms awayf rom t he airbag covers.
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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.
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.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries.
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.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand an inf ant or child.
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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 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. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) 37
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
U.S. Models
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 child
seat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
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