HONDA CIVIC HYBRID 2003 7.G Owner's Manual

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal
protection f rom the airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
Anyone using a seat belt that is
not working properly can be
seriously injured or killed. Have your
Honda dealer check the belt as soon
as possible.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
45
82
A djust the Steering Wheel
6.
No one should
sit in a seat wit h an inoperat ive seat belt.
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
18

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 of f .Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured by
striking interior parts of the car, or
by being struck by an inf lating f ront
airbag. Being struck by an inflating
side airbag can result in possibly
serious injuries.
Remember, to get the best
protection f rom your car’s airbags
and other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt
properly.
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
7.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19
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.

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 f ar back as possible
f rom 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 inf lating airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort 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.
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Additional Saf ety Precautions
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

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 f ront airbag inf lates.
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
interf ere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inf late, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone. If your
hands or arms are close to the
airbag cover in the center of the
steering wheel or on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the front airbag inflates. If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
Do not place hard or sharp object s
bet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
Do not at t ach or place object s onthe f ront airbag covers. K eep your hands and arms away
f rom t he airbag covers.
On U.S. models wit h side airbags,
do not at t ach hard object s on ornear a f ront door.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety21

(See page
.)
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle. 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 death of children ages 12 and
under.
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section. (See page
.)
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38
properly
All Children Must Be Restrained
Anychildwhoistoosmalltoweara seat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt and use aboost er seat , if needed.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety22
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.

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 inf lates with tremendous
speed.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.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the f ront seat. The
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
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 inf lating airbag
when they ride in the back.
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward into the
dashboard and crush the child.
If youarewearingaseatbelt,the
child can be torn f rom your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked
vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a
20-lb (9 kg) inf ant will become a
600-lb (275 kg) f orce, and you will
not be able to hold on.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries.
CONT INUED
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand an inf ant or child.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety23

To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in the back seat, your car has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.
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, in a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) 38
U.S. Models
Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he 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.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety24

To remind you of the f ront airbag
hazards, your car has warning labels
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.Your car has three seating positions
in the back seat where children can
be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your car:
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat 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 ). 38
1319
16
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
If You Must Drive with Several
ChildrenCanadian Models
25

Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. And
children lef t alone with the key in the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Using this f eature will
prevent children f rom opening the
doors and accidentally f alling out
(see page ).
Using
this f eature will prevent children
f rom playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page ).
Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or 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 f rom
the passenger’s f ront airbag, and
paying close attention to a child
distracts the driver f rom the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent 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. Children
who play in cars can accidentally
get trapped inside the trunk and
be seriously injured or could die.
Teach your children not to play in
or around cars. Know how to
operate the emergency trunk
opener (U.S. models only) and
decide if your children should be
shown how to use this f eature (see
page ).
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the trunk, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.
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98 93
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle.
Use childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t hedoors.
Use t he main power windowswit ch t o prevent children f romopening t he rear windows. L ock all doors and t he t runk when
your vehicle is not in use.
K eep car keys and remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
Additional Saf ety Precautions
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
26

The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
child seats f or inf ants and small
children.To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Childrenuptoaboutone
year old should be restrained in a
rear-f acing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-f acing seat provides the
proper support to protect an inf ant’s
head, neck, and back. See page for additional information on
protecting inf ants.
The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the boxes.
31
CONT INUED
General Guidelines f or Using
Child SeatsSelect ing a Child Seat
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child. Inf ant s:
T he child seat should meet saf et y
st andards.
2.
1.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27