2008 Acura RDX page 59

These advantages come at some cost. Because your vehicle is taller and rides higher of f the ground, it has a high
center of gravity. This means your vehicle can tip or roll over if you make abrupt turns. Utility vehicles have a
signif icantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is signif icantly
more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. As a reminder, make sure you and your passengers always wear
seat belts.
For inf ormation on how to reduce the risk of rollover, read ‘‘Driving Guidelines’’ on page of this manual and thesection on page . Failure to operate your vehicle correctly might result in loss of
control or an accident.
Your RDX has higher ground clearance than a passenger vehicle designed f or use only on pavement. Higher ground
clearance has many advantages f or of f -highway driving. It allows you to travel over bumps, obstacles, and rough
terrain. It also provides good visibility so you can anticipate problems earlier.
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Of f -Highway Driving Guidelines
Important Handling Inf ormation
iv
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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.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (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 withevery additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
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.
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat
(see pages ). Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries 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 ).
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14
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Don’t Drink and Drive
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Restrain All ChildrenControl Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
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Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment, front and rear crush
zones, a collapsible steering column,
and tensioners that tighten the f ront
seat belts in a crash.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7
(5)
(7)
(10) (3)
(1)
(2)
(8)
(6)
(2)(9)
(11)
(4)
(6)
(8)(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Door Locks
(11) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
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CONT INUED
Your vehicle has a supplemental
restraint system (SRS) with f ront
airbags to help protect the heads and
chests of the driver and a front seat
passenger during a moderate to
severe f rontal collision (see pagef or more inf ormation on how
your f ront airbags work). Your vehicle also has side airbags to
help protect the upper torso of the
driver or a f ront seat passenger
during a moderate to severe side
impact (see page f or more
information on how your side airbags
work).
In addition, your vehicle has side
curtain airbags to help protect the
heads of the driver, f ront passenger,
and passengers in the outer rear
seating positions during a moderate
to severe side impact or rollover (see
page f or more inf ormation on how
your side curtain airbags work).
25 29
30
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers,
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to drive
or ride in the f ront.
See pages f or important
guidelines on how to properly
protect inf ants, small children, and
larger children who ride in your
vehicle.
After everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and the
tailgate are closed and locked. Your vehicle has a door and tailgate
monitor on the multi-inf ormation
display to indicate when a specif ic
door or the tailgate is not tightly
closed. You will see the appropriate
indicator and the message f or each
condition.
When one or more doors are not
tightly closed, the ‘‘DOOR OPEN’’
message will come on.
When the tailgate is not tightly
closed, the ‘‘TAILGATE OPEN’’
message will come on.
When both tailgate and one or more
doors are not tightly closed, the
‘‘DOOR & TAILGATE OPEN’’
message will come on.
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Introduction
Close and L ock the Doors
1.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Locking the doors and the tailgate
reduces the chance of someone
being thrown out of the vehicle
during a crash, and it helps prevent
passengers f rom accidentally
opening a door or the tailgate and
f alling out.
Locking the doors and the tailgate
also helps prevent an outsider from
unexpectedly opening a door or the
tailgate when you come to a stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors and the tailgate.
This vehicle has auto door locking/
unlocking f eatures. See pagesand f or how to set them. Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a f ront passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible. If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest. In addition to
adjusting the seat, you can adjust the
steering wheel up and down, and in
and out (see page ).
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
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101109 119
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Front Seats
2.
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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.
See pages and for how to
adjust the seat-backs.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.
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.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure
the seat is locked in position.
See pages and for how to
adjust the f ront seats.
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131132
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
13
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.
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.
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Adjust the driver’s head restraint so
the center of the back of your head
rests against the center of the
restraint.Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants f rom
whiplash and other crash injuries.
Have passengers adjust their head
restraints properly as well. Taller
persons should adjust their restraint
as high as possible. See page f or how to adjust the
head restraints and how the driver’s
and f ront passenger’s active head
restraints work.Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Check that
the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
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Adjust the Head Restraints Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
4.
5.
Protecting A dults and Teens
14
Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned properly
before driving.
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