2011 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID Owners Manual

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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.
Your vehicle has a back seat where
children can be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry a group of
children, and a child must ride in
front:
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 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.
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15
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
37
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If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. 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 f atal injuries.
This can prevent
children f rom accidentally f alling
out (see page ). Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the trunk, 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. Know how to
operate the emergency trunk
opener and decide if your children
should be shown how to use this
feature(seepage ).
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. 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. 45 46
82 88
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never let two children use the
same seat belt .
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand a child.
Use t he childproof door locks t oprevent children f rom opening t he rear doors. K eep vehicle keys and remot e
transmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
L ock all doors and t he t runk when
your vehicle is not in use.
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
38
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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.
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.
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. It could also interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced f ront airbag system.
CONT INUED
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ypeDo 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
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.Many states, Canadian provinces and
territories allow a child one year of
age or older who also meets the
minimum size and weight
requirements to transition f rom a
rear-facing child seat to a forward
f acing seat. Know the requirements
where you are driving and follow the
child seat instructions. Many experts
recommend use of a rear-f acing seat
up to age two, if the child’s heightand weight are appropriate f or a
rear-f acing seat.
If the vehicle seat is too
farforward,orthechild’sheadis
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to cause very
serious or f atal 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 until the child
reaches the weight or height limit
for the seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Child Seat Placement
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
40 Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during acrash.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not thefront.
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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 protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the two outer
seating positions in the back seat.
Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
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.
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.
When buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed f or use with
the Lower Anchors and Tethers f or
CHildren (LATCH) system.
Look f or FMVSS 213 or CMVSS
213 on the box.
Rear-facing for infants, forward-
f acing f or small children.
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CONT INUED
Selecting a Child Seat
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet
Federal Mot or Vehicle Saf et y St andard 213 or Canadian Mot orVehicle Saf et y St andard 213.
T he child seat should f it thevehicle seat ing posit ion (or posit ions) where it will be used.
T he child seat should be of the
proper type and size to f it the child.
1.
2.3.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
41
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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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-sidemovement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat’s
ef f ectiveness.
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.
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.
Af ter selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat: 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.
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
canbeseriouslyinjuredinacrash.
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 f or CHildren) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered 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.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured. Secure the child in the child seat.
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
1.
2. 3.
Installing a Child Seat
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
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To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connector as
shown above.
Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors.
Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers for CHildren) at the outer
rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom, and are to be used only with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
The location of each lower anchor is
indicated by a small button above the
anchor point.
1. 2.3.
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Installing a Child Seat with
LATCH
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
43
BUTTON
LOWER ANCHORS Rigid type
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Other LATCH-compatible seats have
a f lexible-type connector as shown
above.Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it. Lif t the head restraint (see page
), then route the tether strap
through the legs of the head
restraint and over the seat-back,
making sure the strap is not
twisted. Pushandpullthechildseat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, then tighten the
strap as instructed by the child
seat maker.
If the tether strap is too long and
cannot be tightened f irmly, f ind a
route where the strap can be
tightened securely.
5.
4. 6. 7.
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Installing a Child Seat
44 Flexible type
ANCHOR
TETHER STRAP HOOK
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