belt Acura Integra 2000 Hatchback User Guide

Protectin
g Adult s

3 . Adjus t th e Seat-Back s
Adjust the driver's seat-back to a comfortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel. If yousit too close to the steering wheel,
you could be injured if the airbag
inflates.
A front passenger should also adjust
the seat-back to an upright position,
but as far from the dashboard as
possible. A passenger who sits too close to the dashboard could be
injured if the airbag inflates.
Reclining a seat-back so that theshoulder 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 page 79 for how to adjust seat-

backs.

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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.

Protectin
g Adult s

5 . Faste n an d Positio n th e Sea t
Belt s
Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Also check
that the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious injuries in a crash.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips, then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part fits snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries. If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack from the
shoulder part, then check that the
belt rests across the center of your chest and over your shoulder. This
spreads the forces of a crash over
the strongest bones in your upper

body.

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Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury

or death in a crash.

Make sure all seat belts are

properly positioned before

driving.

Protectin
g Adult s

Never place the shoulder portion of a

lap/shoulder belt under your arm or
behind your back.This could cause

very serious injuries in a crash.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect theoccupant in a crash. No one should
sit in a seat with an inoperative seat

belt. Anyone using a seat belt that is
not working properly can be seriously injured or killed. Have your
Acura dealer check the belt as soon
as possible.
See page 42 for additional
information about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts.
6
. Adjus t th e Steerin g Whee l

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed, so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your face.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal protection from the airbag.
See page 66 for how to adjust the
steering wheel.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

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 bystriking 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 must
sit 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.

CONTINUED

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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. All
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.

Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt should be properly

restrained in a child seat. (See page
25.)
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See page
37.)
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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
Childre n Shoul d Si t i n th e Bac k
Sea t
According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes aresafer 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.

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 ChildrenChildren 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 37 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 the driver'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.

Driver an d Passenge r Safel y

CAUTIO
N

T O AVOI D SERIOU S INJURY :

FO R MAXIMU M SAFET Y PROTECTIO N IN

AL L TYPE S O F CRASHES , YO U MUS T
ALWAY S WEA R YOU R SAFET Y BELT .
D O NO T INSTAL L REARWARD-FACIN G
CHIL D SEAT S I N AN Y FRON T
PASSENGE R SEA T POSITION .
D O NO T SI T O R LEA N UNNECESSARIL Y
CLOS E T O TH E AI R BAG .
D O NO T PLAC E AN Y OBJECT S OVE R TH E
AI R BA G O R BETWEE N TH E AI R BA G
AN D YOURSELF .
SE E TH E OWNER' S MANUA L FO R FURTHE R
INFORMATIO N AN D EXPLANATIONS .
PRECAUTIONS
:

POU R EVITE R DE S BLESSURE S GRAVES :

POU R PROFITE R D'UN E PROTECTIOO N
MAXIMAL E LOR S D'UN E COLLISIO N BOUCLE Z
TOUJOUR S VOTR E C EINTUR E D E SECURITE .
NINSTALLE Z JAMAI S U N SIEG E POU R
ENFANT S FAISAN T FAC E A L'ARRIER E SU R
L E SIEG E D U PASSAGE R AVANT .
N E VOU S APPUYE Z PA S E T N E VOU S ASSOYE Z
PA S PRE S D U COUSSI N GONFLABLE .
N E DEPOSE Z AUCU N OBJE T SU R L E COUSSI N
GONFLABL E O U ENTR E L E COUSSI N
GONFLABL E E T VOUS .
LISE Z L E GUID E UTILISATEU R POU R D E
PLU S AMPLE S 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 beproperly 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 37). 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 seat
exposes the child to hazards from
the airbag, and paying close attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks 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 Precautio n
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.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n
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 oneor 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 adifferent one that will fit.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y