2003 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

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 passenger always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page ).
Since all children are saf est in the
back seat of a car, and your car does
not have a back seat, we recommend
that you do not carry a child
passenger.If a small child who
must be restrained in a f orward-
f acing child seat, or a larger child,
must ride in this car, be sure to
f ollow all instructions and saf ety
warnings in this manual. (See pages and .)
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 .)
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.
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.
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.
15 26 29
150
9
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Due t o t he passenger’s airbag hazard, you should never
carry an inf ant in a rear-f acing childseat in t his car.
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive Control Your Speed
K eep Your Car in Saf e Condition
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Your Car is Not Recommended
f or Child Passengers
6

Your car is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passenger
during a crash.
These saf ety f eatures are designed
to reduce the severity of injuries in a
crash. However, you and your
passenger can’t take full advantage
of these saf ety f eatures unless you
remain sitting in a proper position
andIn f act, some saf ety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly. Some saf ety f eatures do not require
anyactiononyourpart.These
include a strong steel f ramework
that forms a safety cage around the
passenger compartment; f ront and
rear crush zones that are designed to
crumple and absorb energy during a
crash; a collapsible steering column;
and seat belt tensioners that
automatically tighten the seat belts
in the event of a crash.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
always wear your seat belts
properly.
7
(8) (1) (9) (3) (4) (7) (6)
(2)
(5)
(2)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats & Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Seat Belt Tensioners
(8) Airbags
(9) Door Locks

In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
Foryoursafety,andthesafetyof
your passenger, your car is equipped
with seat belts in both seating
positions.
Seat belts have proven to be the
singlemosteffectivesafetydevice.
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 passenger to f asten your seat
belts.
Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly. Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury. Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag, and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag. Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including side and
rear impacts and rollovers. (Your
airbag can only be helpful in a moderate to severe frontal
collision.)
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
When properly worn, seat belts: Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the car and
against another occupant.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What you should do:
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
8
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
passenger always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.

This system also includes
an indicator light on the
instrument panel to alert you to a
possible problem with the system. The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as f ar back as possible
f rom the steering wheel or
dashboard. To do their job, airbags must
inf late with tremendous f orce and
speed. So while airbags save lives,
they can cause serious injuries to
adults and larger children who are
not wearing seat belts, are not
wearing them properly, are sitting
too close to the airbag, or are not
sitting in a proper position. Inf ants
and small children are at an even
greater risk of injury or death.
Your car has a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) with frontal
airbags to help protect the driver and
a passenger. Airbags are
designed to deploy only during a
moderate to severe frontal
collision. The seat belts are the occupants’
primary protection in all types of
collisions. Airbags supplement
seat belts by providing extra
protection f or occupants’ heads
and chests.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Airbags
What you should do:
Airbags can pose serious hazards.
Airbags of f er no protection in side impact s, rear impact s, rollovers,or minor collisions.
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
9

Head restraints can help protect you
f rom whiplash and other injuries.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.
Move the seats
as far back as possible, and keep
adjustable seat-backs in an upright
position whenever the car is moving.
Your car’s seats are designed to keep
you in a comf ortable, upright
position so you can take f ull
advantage of the protection offered
by seat belts and the energy
absorbing materials in the seats.
How you adjust your seats and seat-
backs can also affect your safety. For
example, sitting too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard
increases the risk of you or your
passenger being injured by striking
theinsideof thecar,orbyan
inf lating airbag.
Reclining a seat-back too f ar reduces
the seat belt’s ef f ectiveness and
increases the chance that the seat’s
occupant will slide under the seat
belt in a crash and be seriously
injured. Seats & Seat-Backs
Door L ocks
Head Restraints
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
What you should do:
10

Seat-backs are upright (see page).
To make sure you and your
passenger get the maximum
protection f rom your car’s saf ety
f eatures, check the f ollowing each
time before you drive away:
A small child riding in a f orward-
f acing child seat is properly
restrained (see page ). Both doors are closed and locked
(see page ).
All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page ).
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.
Occupants are sitting upright and
as far back as possible from the
steering wheel and dashboard
(see page ). You and any adult passenger, or a
larger child who has outgrown
child seats, are wearing your seat
belts and wearing them properly
(see page ). The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
15
26
13 12
12 128
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist
11

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 inf lating airbag during a
crash.
Af ter everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked. The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect adult occupants.
These instructions also apply to a
child whom you have decided is
large enough and mature enough to
ride as a passenger. (See page f or
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.) 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
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.
29
62
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Introduction A djust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors
1. 2.
12

CONT INUED
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.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
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 airbag
inf lates.
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.
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.Alsomakesureyour
passenger moves the seat as f ar to
the rear as possible.
69
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
13
Sitting too close to an airbag
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
airbags as possible.