HONDA PRELUDE 1998 Owner's Guide

Protecting Children

Infant Seat Installation Tips

For proper protection, an infant must
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper reclining angle, check with the baby's
doctor or follow the seat maker's
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown above. When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent the
driver or a front-seat passenger from
moving their seat as far back as
recommended (see page 11). Or it
may prevent the seat-back from
locking in the desired position (see
page 12).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly behind the front passenger seat,move the front seat as far forward as
needed, and leave it unoccupied. You may also wish to get a smaller child
seat that allows you to safely carry a
front passenger.
Additional Precautions for Infants
Never hold a baby on your lap. If

you are not wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could be thrown
forward into the dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
baby can be torn from your arms. For example, if the vehicle crashes
into a parked vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 20 Ibs (9 kg) baby
will become a 600 Ibs (275 kg)
force, and you will not be able to hold it. Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a baby. During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child and cause very serious injuries.

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Protecting Children

Protecting Small Children
Child Seat Type
A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the child
seat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown.
We also recommend that a small child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until they reach the weightor height limit for the seat. Child Seat Placement
In this vehicle, the best place to
install a forward-facing child seat is
in one of the seating positions in the
back seat.

Placing a forward-facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger 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 passenger's airbag canstrike the child with enough force to
cause very serious or fatal injuries. If
a small child must be closely
watched, we recommend that another adult sit in the back seat
with the child.

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Protecting Children
If it is necessary to put a forward-
facing child seat in the front, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the car, and that
the child is properly strapped in the
seat.
Child Seat Installation
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
and front passenger seating positions
have a locking mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat.
The following pages provide instructions and tips on how tosecure a forward-facing child seat
with this type of seat belt.
1. With the child seat in the desiredseating position, route the belt
through the child seat according to the seat maker's instructions,then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front seat can result in serious injury
or death if the airbags inflate.
If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as possible and properly restrain
the child.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children

2. To activate the lockable retractor, slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops, then let the belt feed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
3. After the belt has retracted, tug on it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps.
4. After confirming that the belt is

locked, grab the shoulder part of

the belt near the buckle and pullup to remove any slack from the

lap part of the belt. Remember, if

the lap part of the belt is not tight,

the child seat will not be secure. It
may help to put weight on the

child seat, or push on the back of

the seat while pulling up on the

belt. 5. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough to stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.

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Protecting Children

To deactivate the locking mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract.
Additional Precautions for Small

Children
Never hold a small child on your

lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward into the dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
child can be torn from your arms
during a crash. For example, if the
vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 30 Ibs (14 kg) child will become a
900 Ibs (410 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold it.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a child. During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.

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Protecting Children

Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in one of the backseats and wear a lap/shoulder belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tallenough to use the seat belt without a

booster.

The following pages give instructions on how to check properseat belt fit, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.
Checking Seat Belt Fit

To determine whether a lap/
shoulder belt properly fits a child,
first have the child put on the seat belt, following the instructions on
page 14. Then check how the belt

fits.

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Driver and Passenger Safety

Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
If a larger child must sit in front,
they should move the seat as
far back as possible and wear their seat belt properly.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children
If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child's collarbone and
against the center of the chest, as
shown above, the child is large
enough to wear the seat belt. However, if the belt touches or
crosses the child's neck, the child needs to use a booster seat.
Do not let a child wear a seat belt
across their neck. This could result
in serious neck injuries during a

crash.

Do not let a child put the shoulder
part of a seat belt behind their back or under their arm. This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash. It also increases the chance of a
child sliding under the belt and being
injured in a crash. Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort, or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability of seat belts and increase the chance
of serious injury in a crash.
Two children should never use the
same seat belt. If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.

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Protecting Children

Using a Booster Seat
If a child needs a booster seat, we
recommend choosing a style that
allows the child to use the lap/ shoulder belt directly, without a
shield, as shown above.
Whichever style you select, follow the booster seat maker's instructions. A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of their ears are
even with the top of the seat-back.
When a child reaches this height,
they should be tall enough to use the lap/shoulder belt without a booster. When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under ride in the back seat, properly restrained.
The back seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger's airbag
poses serious risks to children. If the seat is too far forward, or the child's
head is thrown forward during a collision, or the child is unrestrained
or out of position, an inflating airbag
can kill or seriously injure the child.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of when a child can safely ride in the
front, there are other important
factors you should consider.

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Protecting Children

Physical Size

Physically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit over their hips, chest, and shoulder (see page 14). If the
seat belt does not fit properly, the
child should not sit in the front.

Maturity

To safely ride in front, a child must be able to follow the rules, including
sitting properly and wearing their

seat belt properly throughout a ride. If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to:
Carefully read the owner's manual,
and make sure you understand all seat belt instructions and all safety
information. Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight with
their back against the seat and
their feet on or near the floor. Check that the child's seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Closely supervise the child. Even
mature children sometimes need
to be reminded to fasten their seat
belt or sit properly.
Using Child Seats with Tethers

Your car has two attachment points on the rear shelf for securing a
tether-style child seat to the car.

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Protecting Children

Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or available. (Tethers are required in
Canada. U.S. owners may check with
the child seat maker to determine
whether a tether is available for a particular child seat.)
To attach a tether to your car: 1. Using the illustration on page 38 , locate the attachment point you
want to use.
2. Remove the plug with a small flat- tipped screwdriver or a fingernail
file.
3. Install the anchor plate and
mounting hardware. The
hardware is available for purchasefrom your Honda dealer (part
number 82410-SE3-C01). For Canadian models, the hardware is
supplied with the vehicle.
When installing tether hardware,
make sure the toothed washer is on
the bottom of the bolt. Tighten the
bolt to:
16 lbf .
ft (22 N .
m,2.2 kgf .
m)

If a torque wrench was not used, see
your Honda dealer as soon as possible to verify proper installation.
To attach the tether to the child seat, follow the child seat maker's
instructions.

If you are not sure how to install the
tether, or you need mounting hardware, contact your Honda dealer.
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