2003 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

Leaving a child without adult
supervision is illegal in most states
and Canadian provinces and can
be very hazardous. For example, a
small child lef t in a car on a hot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
car in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others. As discussed on page , because
your car does not have a back seat,
and because of the passenger’s
airbag hazard, we strongly
recommend that you do not carry a
small child as a passenger in this car.
However, if you must carry a small
child in this car, the child must be
properly restrained in a child seat.
The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
a child seat. See page f or
additional information.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the trunk, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.
Children who play in cars can
accidentally get trapped inside the
trunk. Teach your children not to
play in or around cars. Know how
to operate the emergency trunk
opener and decide if your children
should be shown how to use this
f eature (See page ). 26
67 19
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not leave a child alone in your
car. K eep car keys and remot e
transmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
Lock both doors and the trunk when your car is not in use.
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Additional Saf ety Precautions
22

CONT INUED
To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and seat. Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
seating positions in all cars.
However, Honda is conf ident that
one or more child seat models can f it
andbeproperlyinstalledinall
recommended seating positions in
your car.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat to make sure it f its
properly in the passenger’s seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you will need to buy a
dif f erent one that will f it.
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. 26
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
T he child seat should f it the
passenger’s seat .
T he child seat should be of the
proper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
T he child seat should meet saf et y st andards.
Select ing a Child Seat
Small Children:
2.
3.
1.
23

The passenger’s airbag inf lates
with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.Never in the passenger’s
seat, due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard.
Not recommended,
due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride
in this car, move the vehicle seat
to the rear-most position and
secure a f ront-f acing child seat
with the seat belt. (see page ).
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 airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place a child seat in your car.
If a small child must ride in this
car, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section. This car is not equipped with a
tether attachment point.
27
Placing a Child Seat
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Passenger’s Seat
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
24

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat: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. 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.
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.
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.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ 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.
All child
seats must be secured to the car
with the lap part of a lap/shoulder
belt. A child whose seat is not
properly secured to the car can be
endangered in a crash. See page for instructions on how to
secure a f orward-f acing child seat
in this car. 27
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Make sure t he child seat is f irmly
secured. Secure the child in the child seat.
Storing a Child Seat
Inst alling a Child Seat
Properly secure t he child seat t othe car with a seat belt.
1.
2. 3.
25

The passenger’s airbag poses
serious risks to small children. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward, or the
child’s head is thrown f orward
during a collision, or the child is
unrestrained or improperly
restrained, an inf lating airbag can kill
or seriously injure the child.
For these reasons, we recommend
that you do not carry a small child as
a passenger.If you decide to carry a small child in
this car, f ollow the instructions and
guidelines below.
A child at least one year old who can
sit up without support, and who f its
within the child seat maker’s weight
and height limits, should be
restrained in a f orward-f acing,
upright child seat.
We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown. If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the passenger’s
seat, move the passenger’s seat as
f ar to the rear as possible, be sure
the child seat is f irmly secured to the
car, and the child is properly
strappedintheseat.
Protecting Small Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Child Seat T ype
26
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury
or death if the airbags inflate.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible and properly restrain
the child.

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 passenger’s seat belt has a
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position. Moving the seat as
f ar back as possible reduces the
chance of a child being injured or
killed if the passenger’s airbag
inflates. (See page for
instructions on how to adjust the
seat.) With the child seat in position,
route the belt through the child
seat according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
f orward-f acing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
1.
2.3.
4.
69
CONT INUED
Child Seat Inst allat ion
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27

Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It
mayhelptoputweightonthe
child seat, or push on the back of
the seat, while pulling up on the
belt.Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract.
5. 6.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28

The passenger’s airbag poses
serious risks to children, including
those who have outgrown child seats.
If the vehicle seat is too f ar f orward,
or the child’s head is thrown f orward
during a collision, or the child is
unrestrained or out of position, an
inf lating airbag can kill or seriously
injure the child.
For these reasons, we recommend
that you do not carry a child
passenger.
With this in mind, f ollowing are
some guidelines to help you decide
when a given child may ride in your
car.
When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should wear a lap/shoulder belt.If a child is too short f or the shoulder
part of the belt to properly f it, we
recommend that the child use a
booster seat until the child is tall
enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must ride in this car.
To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
sit all the way back in the seat, and
put on the seat belt. Follow the
instructions on page . Then check
how the belt f its.15
CONT INUED
Checking Seat Belt Fit
T he Child Should Wear a Seat BeltProtecting L arger Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety29
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible,
uses a booster seat if needed,
and wears the seat belt properly.