Acura Integra 2001 Owner's Guide

Protectin
g Adult s

7.Maintai n a Prope r Sittin g
Positio n
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the car is parked and the engine is off.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. Forexample, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits forward, leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased. In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the front seat can be
seriously or fatally injured by
striking interior parts of the car, or
by being struck by an inflating airbag.
Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags and other safety features, you mustsit properly and wear your seat belt

properly.

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Sitting improperly or out of

position can result in serious

injury or death in a crash.

Always sit upright, well back in

the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

Protectin
g Adult s

Advic e fo r Pregnan t Wome n
Because protecting the mother is the
best way to protect her unborn child, a pregnant woman should always
wear a seat belt whenever she drives or rides in a vehicle.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as low as possible across
your hips. Pregnant women should also sit
upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or dashboard. This will reduce the risk
of injuries to both the mother and
her unborn child that can be caused by a crash or an inflating airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it's okay for you to drive. Additiona
l Safet y Precaution s

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 seat

belts. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt can
severely compromise the
protective capability of the seat
belt and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.

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Protectin
g Adult s
Do not place hard or sharp objects
between yourself and an airbag.

Carrying hard or sharp objects on
your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp object in your mouth,
can result in injuries if your
airbags inflate.
Do not attach or place objects on

the airbag covers. Any object

attached to or placed on the covers
marked "SRS AIRBAG," in the center of the steering wheel and
on top of the dashboard, could
interfere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.
Keep your hands and arms away

from the airbag covers. If your
hands or arms are close to the airbag covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of thedashboard, they could be injured if
the airbags inflate.

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Protectin
g Childre n

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section. Al
l Childre n Mus t B e Restraine d
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause of death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.

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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 properlyrestrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly restrained with a seat belt.

Protectin
g Childre n
Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. (See page 26.)
A larger child should always be restrained with a seat belt. (See page 38.) Childre
n Shoul d Si t i n th e Bac k
Sea t
According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back. Th
e Passenger' s Airba g Pose s
Seriou s Risk s t o Childre n
Airbags have been designed to help protect adults in a moderate tosevere frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's airbag is quite large, and it inflates with tremendous

speed.

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Protectin
g Childre n

Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped

with a passenger's airbag. If the

airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an infant. Small Children

Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's airbag can be

hazardous. If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an inflating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to kill or very seriously injure a small child. Larger Children

Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured
or killed by an inflating passenger's

airbag. Whenever possible, larger

children should sit in the back seat,
properly restrained with a seat belt. (See page 38 for important
information about protecting larger
children.)

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Protectin
g Childre n

U.S. Models
To remind you of the passenger's airbag hazards, and that children
must be properly restrained in the
back seat, your car has warning labels on the dashboard and on thedriver's and front passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels. Canadian Models
To remind you of the airbag hazards,
your car has warning labels on the driver's and front passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.

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CAUTIO
N

TO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY:
FOR MAXIMUM SAFETY PROTECTION IN
ALL TYPES OF CRASHES, YOU MUST
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SAFETY BELT. DO NOT INSTALL REARWARD-FACING
CHILD SEATS IN ANY FRONTPASSENGER SEAT POSITION.
DO NOT SIT OR LEAN UNNECESSARILY
CLOSE TO THE AIR BAG.
DO NOT PLACE ANY OBJECTS OVER THE
AIR BAG OR BETWEEN THE AIR BAG
AND YOURSELF. SEE THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS. PRECAUTION
:

POUR EVITER DES BLESSURES GRAVES:

POUR PROFITER D'UNE PROTECTION

MAXIMALE LORS D'UNE COLLISION BOUCLEZ

TOUJOURS VOTRE CEINTURE DE SECURITE.
N'lNSTALLEZ JAMAIS UN SIEGE POURENFANTS FAISANT FACE A L'ARRIERE SUR
LE SIEGE DU PASSAGER AVANT.
NE VOUS APPUYEZ PAS ET NE VOUS ASSEYEZPAS PRES DU COUSSIN GONFLABLE.
NE DEPOSEZ AUCUN OBJET SUR LE COUSSIN
GONFLABLE OU ENTRE LE COUSSIN
GONFLABLE ET VOUS. LISEZ LE GUIDE UTILISATEUR POUR DE
PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS.

Protectin
g Childre n
I f Yo u Mus t Driv e wit h Severa l
Childre n
Your car has two seating positions in the back seat where children can be
properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
two children in your car: Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 38). Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page 13).
Have the child sit upright and well
back in the seat (see page 18).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page 16). I
f a Chil d Require s Clos e
Attentio n
Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or 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 seatexposes the child to hazards from
the airbag, and paying close attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important task 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. Additiona
l Safet y Precaution s Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle. Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, infants and small
children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. And
children left alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly injuring themselves or others. Lock both doors and the hatch
when your vehicle is not in use.
Children who play in cars can
accidentally get trapped inside the
car. Teach your children not to
play in or around cars.
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Protectin
g Childre n

Genera l Guideline s fo r Usin g
Chil d Seat s
The following pages give general guidelines for selecting and installingchild seats for infants and small
children.
Selecting a Child Seat
To provide proper protection, a child seat should meet three
requirements:
1. The child seat should meet safety

standards. The child seat should

meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer's statement of compliance on the box and seat.

2. The child seat should be of the
proper type and size to fit the child.

Infants: Children up to about one
year old should be restrained in a rear-facing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-facing seat provides the
proper support to protect an infant's
head, neck, and back. See page 30 for additional information on
protecting infants.
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Protectin
g Childre n

Small Children: A child who is too

large for a rear-facing child seat, and
who can sit up without support, should be restrained in a forward-
facing child seat. See page 34 for additional information on protecting

small children.
3. The child seat should fit the
vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used.
Due to variations in the design of child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is confident that one
or more child seat models can fit and
be properly installed in all recommended seating positions in
your car. Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not fit, you may need to buy a different one that will fit.

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