2007 HONDA ELEMENT Owners Manual

µ
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries. If
the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thro wn forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larg er children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page for important
info rmation about protecting larger
children).
According
to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in a
back seat. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children age 12 and under be
properly restrained in a back seat.
Some states have laws restricting
where children may ride.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back. Even
though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger’s
front airbag off (see page ),
please f ollow these guidelines:
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. 34
51
Small ChildrenPlacing a f orward-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Larger ChildrenChildren who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in the f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
Inf ant sAll Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
Protecting Children General Guidelines
38

µ
To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in a back seat, your vehicle has
warninglabelsonthedashboard
(U.S. models) and on the f ront visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.Canadian Models
U.S. Models
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
39

µ
Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or a small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
frontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk. If
a child requires physical attention
or frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
Place the largest child in the front
seat, pro vided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
back intheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secu red (see page
).
Your vehicle has two back seats
where children can be properly
restrained. If you ever have to carry
a group of children, and a child must
ride in f ront:
15 17
83
51
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Protecting Children General Guidelines
40

µ
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. If
you are not wearing a
seat belt in crash, you could be
thrown forward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed. Children
who play in vehicl es
can accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
Even very
young children learn how to
unlock vehicle doors, turn on the
ignition, and open the tailgate or
hatch, which can lead to accidental
injury or death.
If a child wraps a loose
seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or f atally injured.
(See pages and f or how to
activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous.
For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others. 4948
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt .
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap. Lock all doors, the tailgate and the
hat ch when your vehicle is not inuse.
K eep vehicle keys and remot et ransmit t ers (on some models) outof t he reach of children.
Make sure any unused seat belt
t hat a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,and the belt is f ully retracted andlocked.
Do not leave children alone in avehicle.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
41

An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
f or the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.
Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. A rear-f acing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the f ront.
If the passenger’s front airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving their seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking their
seat-back in the desired position.
It can also interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position. Never put a
rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat .
Rear-f acing Child Seat Placement
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
42

A child who is at least 1 year old, 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.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.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 force to cause very
serious or fatal injuries. We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the f ront. We also recommend that a small
child use the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
f ront passenger’s seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-f acing child seat.
CONT INUED
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith a passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Child Seat Placement
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
43
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.

Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
We also recommend selecting a
LATCH-compatible seat with a rigid,
rather than a flexible, anchor (see
page ). In
seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper pro tection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Look for FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Rear-facing for infa nts, forward-
facing for small children.
When
buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed for use with
the lower anchors and tethers for
children (LATCH) system.
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by atta ching the seat to
hardware built into the two second
row seats.
If
it is necessary to put a fo rward-
facing child seat in the front, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, and be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the vehicle and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
Ev
en with advanced front airbags
that automatically turn the
passenger’s front airbag off (see
page ), a back seat is the saf est
place f or a small child.
1.
2.
46
34
Selecting 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 type and size to f it the child.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
44
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.

Af ter selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (lower anchors and
tethers for children) system. 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
verify that it is secure.
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.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured.
Bef ore purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specif ic
vehicle seating position or positions
where the seat will be used.
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 child seat. A f orward-f acing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same f or rear-
f acing child seats.
3.
1.
2.3.
Installing a Child Seat
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured.
T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
Secure the child in the child seat.
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
45