2008 HONDA ODYSSEY 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 have children, or 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
infants, 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 the 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 ).
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
All Children Must Be Restrained
Inf ant s and small children must be
rest rained in an approved child seatt hat is properly secured t o t hevehicle Larger children must be restrained
wit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride ona boost er seat unt il t he seat belt f it st hem properly
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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 seat if necessary.
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Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
f orce to cause very serious injuries.If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.)
Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger’s
f ront airbag of f (see page ),
please f ollow these guidelines:
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat. The National Highway
Traf f ic Saf ety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children aged 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.
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. 35
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CONT INUED
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
All Children Should Sit in a Back
SeatSmall Children
Placing 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.
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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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.U.S. ModelsCanadian Models
Protecting Children General Guidelines
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DASHBOARD
SUN VISORS
SUN VISORS
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Your vehicle has two rows of 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:Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or a small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided 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
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
). If a child requires close physical
attention or f requent visual contact,
we strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in a back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a 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.
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.
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If You Must Drive with Several
Children
If a Child Requires Close
AttentionAdditional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand a child.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt .
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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If a child
wraps a loose seat belt around
their neck, they can be seriously
or f atally injured. (See pages and for how to activate
and deactivate the lockable
retractor.)
This can prevent children
f rom accidentally f alling out (see
page ). This
will prevent unintended use of the
doors.
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. Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the tailgate,
which can lead to accidental injury
or death. Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
Make sure any unused seat beltt hat a child can reach is buckled,thelockableretractorisactivated, and the belt is f ullyretracted and locked.
Use childproof door locks t oprevent children f rom opening t hedoors. Use t he power sliding door main
swit ch t o prevent children f romoperat ing t he sliding doors.
Do not leave children alone in avehicle. K eep vehicle keys and remot e
transmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
Lock all doors and the tailgate
when your vehicle is not in use.
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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.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 in the
second row, a rear-f acing child seat
maypreventthedriverorafront
passenger f rom moving their seat as
f ar back as recommended, or f rom
locking their seat-back in the desired
position.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. 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. Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back. A rear-f acing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the second
or third row, but not in the f ront.
It could also interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.
CONT INUED
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position. Rear-f acing Child Seat Placement
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe front seat.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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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.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 use the child seat until the child
reaches the weight or height limit
for the seat.
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
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Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during a
collision.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.
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We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the f ront.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. Even 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.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, and be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
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Child Seat Placement
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith a passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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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.
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