2016 HONDA CIVIC Owners Manual

32
Safe Driving
For Safe Driving
The following pages explain your vehicle's safety features and how to use them
properly. The safety precauti ons below are ones that we consider to be among the
most important.
Important Safety Precautions
■Always wear your seat belt
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 passe ngers always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.
■Restrain all children
Children ages 12 and under should ride properly restrained in a back seat, not the
front seat. Infants and small children shoul d be restrained in a child seat. Larger
children should use a booster seat and a lap/shoulder seat belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat.
■Be aware of airbag hazards
While airbags can save lives, they can cause serious or fatal injuries to occupants
who sit too close to them, or are not prop erly restrained. Infants, young children,
and short adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
■Don't drink and drive
Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even one dr ink can reduce your ability to respond to
changing conditions, and your reaction time gets worse with every additional drink.
So don't drink and drive, and don't let your friends drink and drive, either.
1Important Safety Precautions
Some states, provinces and territories prohibit the use
of cell phones other than hands-free devices by the
driver while driving.
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33
uuFor Safe Driving uImportant Safety Precautions
Safe Driving
■Pay appropriate attention to the task of driving safely
Engaging in cell phone conversation or other activities that keep you from paying
close attention to the road, other vehicles, and pedestrians could lead to a crash.
Remember, situations can change quickly, and only you can decide when it is safe to
divert some attention away from driving.
■Control your speed
Excessive speed is a major factor 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 faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the maximum
speed posted.
■Keep your vehicle in safe condition
Having a tire blowout or a mechanical failure can be extremely hazardous.
To reduce the possibility of such problems, check your tire pressures and condition
frequently, and perform all regul arly scheduled maintenance.
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uuFor Safe Driving uYour Vehicle’s Safety Features
Safe Driving
Your Vehicle’s Safety Features
The following checklist will help you take an active role in protecting yourself and
your passengers.
1 Your Vehicle’s Safety Features
Your vehicle is equipped wi th many features that
work together to help protect you and your
passengers during a crash.
Some features do not require any action on your part.
These include a strong steel framework that forms a
safety cage around the passenger compartment,
front and rear crush zone s, a collapsible steering
column, and tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in a sufficient crash.
However, you and your passe ngers cannot take full
advantage of these features unless you remain seated
in the correct position and always wear your seat
belts. In fact, some safety features can contribute to
injuries if they are not used properly.
67891011
Safety Cage
Crush Zones
Seats and Seat-Backs
Head Restraints
Collapsible Steering Column
Seat Belts
Front Airbags
Side Curtain Airbags
Door Locks Side Airbags
Seat Belt Tensioners
7
7
99
8
8
10
10
6
11
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35
uuFor Safe Driving uSafety Checklist
Safe Driving
Safety Checklist
For the safety of you and your passengers, make a habit of checking these items
each time before you drive.
• After everyone has entered the vehicle, be sure all doors are closed and locked.
Locking the doors helps prevent an occupant from being ejected and an outsider
from unexpectedly opening a door.
2 Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 134
•Adjust your seat to a position suitable for driving. Be sure the front seats are
adjusted as far to the rear as possible while allowing the driver to control the
vehicle. Sitting too close to a front airbag can result in serious or fatal injury in a
crash.
2 Adjusting the Seats P. 167
•Adjust head restraints to the proper position. Head restraints are most effective
when the center of the head restraint aligns with the center of your head. Taller
persons should adjust their head restraint to the highest position.
2 Adjusting the Front Head Restraints P. 170
•Always wear your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly. Confirm that any
passengers are properly belted as well.
2 Fastening a Seat Belt P. 40
•Protect children by using seat belts or chil d seats according to a child’s age, height
and weight.
2 Child Safety P. 58
1Safety Checklist
If the door and trunk open indicator is on, a door or
the trunk is not complete ly closed. Close all doors
tightly until the indicator goes off. 2 Door and Trunk Open Indicator
* P. 80
If the door and trunk open message appears on the
driver information interface , a door and/or the trunk
is not completely closed. Close all doors and the
trunk tightly until th e message disappears.
2 Driver Information Interface Warning and
Information Messages
* P. 91
Models with information display
Models with driver information interface
* Not available on all models
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Safe Driving
Seat Belts
About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts are the single most effective safety device because they keep you
connected to the vehicle so that you can take advantage of many built-in safety
features. They also help keep you from be ing thrown against the inside of the
vehicle, against other passengers, or out of the vehicle. When worn properly, seat
belts also keep your body pr operly positioned in a crash so that you can take full
advantage of the additional protec tion provided by the airbags.
In addition, seat belts help protect you in almost every type of crash, including:
- frontal impacts
- side impacts
- rear impacts
- rollovers
■Lap/shoulder seat belts
All five seating positions are equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts with emergency
locking retractors. In normal driving the re tractor lets you move freely while keeping
some tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop the retractor locks to
restrain your body. The front passenger’s an d rear seat belts also have a lockable
retractor for use with child seats.
2 Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt P. 65
1About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts cannot complete ly protect you in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts can reduce your
risk of serious injury.
Most states and all Canadian provinces and territories
require you to w ear seat belts.
The emergency locking retractor may lock if you lean
forward too quickly. Slower movements will allow
the belt to extend fu lly without locking.
3WARNING
Not wearing a seat belt properly increases
the chance of serious injury or death in a
crash, even though your vehicle has
airbags.
Be sure you and your passengers always
wear seat belts and wear them properly.
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Continued37
uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe Driving
■Proper use of seat belts
Follow these guidelines for proper use:
• All occupants should sit upright, well back in the seat, and remain in that position
for the duration of the trip. Slouching and leaning reduce the effectiveness of the
belt and can increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
• Never place the shoulder part of a lap/shoulder seat belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could cause very serious injuries in a crash.
• Two people should never use the same seat belt. If they do, they could be very
seriously injured in a crash.
• Do not put any accessories on the seat belts. Devices intended to improve comfort
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt can reduce the protective capability
and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.1About Your Seat Belts
If a rear seat passenger moves around and extends
the seat belt, the lockable retractor may activate. If
this happens, release the retractor by unfastening the
seat belt and allow the belt to retract completely.
Then refasten the belt.
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uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
38
Safe DrivingYour vehicle monitors front seat belt use. If
the ignition switch is turned to ON
(w*1
before the driver’s seat belt is fastened, the
beeper will sound and the indicator will blink.
If the driver does not fasten the belt before
the beeper stops, the indicator will remain on.
The beeper will also periodically sound and
the indicator will blink while driving until the
driver’s and front passenger’s seat belts are
fastened.
*1: Models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an
ignition switch.
■Seat Belt Reminder1 Seat Belt Reminder
The indicator will also co me on if a front passenger
does not fasten their seat belt within six seconds after
the ignition switch is turned to ON
( w*1.
When no one is sitting in th e front passenger’s seat,
the indicator will not come on and the beeper will not
sound. The indicator also may not come on and the
beeper may not sound when the occupant is not
heavy enough to trigger th e weight sensor. Such
occupants (e.g., infants and smaller children) should
be moved to the rear seat as a deploying front airbag
likely will injure or kill them.
2 Protecting Child Passengers P. 58
Models with information display
Models with driver information
interface
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uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe DrivingThe front seats are equipped with automatic seat belt tensioners to enhance safety.
The tensioners automatically tighten the front seat belts during a moderate-to-
severe frontal collision, sometimes even if the collision is not severe enough to
inflate the front airbags.
■Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners1 Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
The seat belt tensioners can only operate once.
If a tensioner is activated, the SRS indicator will come
on. Have a dealer replace the tensioner and
thoroughly inspect the seat belt system as it may not
offer protection in a subsequent crash.
During a moderate-to-sev ere side impact, the
tensioner on that side of the vehicle also activates.
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