2004 HONDA S2000 Owners Manual

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Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions many adults do not know
how to properly protect child
passengers.
If you ever need to drive with a child
in your vehicle, be sure to read this
section. It begins with important
general guidelines, then presents
special inf ormation f or small
children and larger children.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 properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
(see pages
). (see
pages ). 27 29
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
All Children Must Be Restrained
A larger child must be restrained
with a booster until the seat belt fitshim her properly
A small child must be restrained in
an approved child seat t hat isproperly secured t o t he vehicle
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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 and
use a booster if necessary.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
age12and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
Since this vehicle does not have a
back seat, we strongly recommend
that you do not carry any child who
is not large enough or mature
enough to ride in f ront (see page ). 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 can inflate with enough force
to cause very serious injuries.
If the passenger’s 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 the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating passenger’s airbag can
strike the child with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure them.
If a larger child must ride in
this vehicle, see page for
important guidelines on how to
decide when a child is ready to ride
in f ront and how to properly protect
the child.
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Vehicle is Not
Recommended f or Child
passengersThe Passenger’s Airbag Can Pose
Serious Risks
Inf antsSmall Children
L arger Children
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
t his vehicle. Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he passenger’s seat can behazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sairbag.
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To remind you of the passenger’s
airbag hazards, your vehicle has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the driver’s and passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.To remind you of the airbag hazards,
your vehicle has warning labels on
the driver’s and passenger’s visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
U.S. Models
Canadian Models
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Never hold a small child on your
lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in crash, you could be thrown
f orward and crush the child
against the dashboard. If you are
wearing a seat belt, the child can
be torn f rom your arms and be
seriously hurt or killed.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child. During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
Never let two children use the
same seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.Lock both doors and the trunk
when your vehicle is not in use.
Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside the
trunk. Teach your children not to
play in or around vehicles. Know
how to operate the emergency
trunk opener and decide if your
children should be shown how to
use this f eature (see page ).Keep vehicle keys and remote
transmitters out of the reach of
children. 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.
Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle. Leaving children 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
vehicle on a hot day can die f rom
heatstroke. A child lef t alone with
the key in the ignition can
accidentally set the vehicle in
motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others.
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Saf ety Precautions
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Because an inf lating airbag can
seriously injure or kill small children,
we recommend that you do not carry
a small child as a passenger in this
vehicle.
If you decide to transport a small
child in this vehicle, be sure to move
the passenger seat as far to the rear
as possible, and follow the
instructions and guidelines in the
f ollowing pages.A child who is at least one year old,
and who fits within the child seat
maker’s weight and height limits,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.We also recommend that a small
child uses the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
Protecting Small Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Child Seat T ype
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Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the passenger’s seat
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in the
passenger’s seat, move the
vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.

To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:Look f or FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, or
using a previously purchased one, we
recommend that you test the seat to
make sure it f its properly in the
passenger’s seat. Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
there are three main steps to install
it:
All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt. A child
whose seat is not properly secured
to the vehicle can be endangered
in a crash.
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. 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
can be seriously injured in a crash.
The f ollowing pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a f orward-f acing child seat.
A child seat secured with a seat
belt should be installed as f irmly
as possible. However, it does not
need to be ‘‘rock solid’’. Some side-
to-side movement can be expected
and should not reduce the child
seat’s ef f ectiveness.
Selecting a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet U.S. or
Canadian Mot or Vehicle Saf et ySt andard 213.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
T he child seat should f it thepassenger’s seat . Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured. Secure the child in the child seat.
1. 2.3. 1.
2. 3.
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27

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
inf lates. 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.
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.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
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
1.
2.
3.4.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
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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.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,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 f irmly secured. 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 and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract.
5. 6.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety29