2003 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

See page f or how to adjust seat-
backs.
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.
A 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 airbag inflates.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
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
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.
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.
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. Thisspreads the f orces of a crash over
the strongest bones in your upper
body.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
4.
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
15
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned 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
Honda dealer check the belt as soon
as possible. After 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 can be seriously or f atally
injured by striking interior parts of
thecar,orbybeingstruckbyan
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.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
No one should
sit in a seat wit h an inoperat ive seat belt.
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
5.
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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.

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.
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 vehicle.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as low as possible across
your hips.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Advice f or Pregnant Women
17

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.
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
airbags inflate. If your
hands or arms are close to the
airbag covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the airbags inf late.
Any object
attached to or placed on the
covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG,’’
in the center of the steering
wheelandontopof the
dashboard, could interf ere with
the proper operation of the
airbags. Or, if the airbags inflate,
the objects could be propelled
inside the car and hurt someone. 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.
properly
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts.
Do not place hard or sharp object sbet ween yourself and an airbag. K eep your hands and arms away
f rom t he airbag covers.
Do not at t ach or place object s onthe airbag covers.
Additional Saf ety Precautions Protecting Children
Protecting Adults, Protecting Children
18

µ
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.
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.
(See page
.)
(See page
.) We strongly recommend that you do
not carry any child in this car.
One reason is that your car does not
have a back seat, and accident
statistics show that a child of any
size or age is saf er when they are
properly restrained in the back seat
of a vehicle.
In addition, your car has a passenger’s
airbag which poses serious risks to
children particularly inf ants and
small children.
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29
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
A ll Children Must Be Restrained Your Car is Not Recommended f or Child Passengers
Anychildwhoistoosmalltoweara
seat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt .
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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.

Airbags have been designed to help
protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s airbag is quite large,
and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.
As a result, we urge you to f ollow
these guidelines.If a larger child must ride in
this car, see page f or important
guidelines on how to decide whether
a child is large enough and mature
enough to ride as a passenger, and
how to properly protect the child. 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 airbag can strike the child
with enough f orce to kill or very
seriously injure a small child. If a
small child must ride in this car,
f ollow the instructions on page .
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.
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 car crashes into a parked
vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a
30-lb (14 kg) child will become a
900-lb (410 kg) f orce, and you will
not be able to hold on.
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries. 2926
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
The Passenger’s Airbag Poses
Serious Risks to ChildrenSmall Children
Inf ant s Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sairbag.
Larger Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag.
Never hold a small child on your
lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand a child.
20

To remind you of the passenger’s
airbag hazards, your car has warning
labels on the dashboard and on the
driver’s and passenger’s visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.To remind you of the airbag hazards,
your car has warning labels on the
driver’s and passenger’s visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
U.S. Models
Canadian Models
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