HONDA PRELUDE 2000 (in English) 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 continu
e 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. For
example, 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 airbagsand other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt
properly.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in seriousinjury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the

floor.

Protecting 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
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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 front 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 thesteering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if the airbags inflate.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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.
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.)
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y
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.

Protecting 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 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 37 for important
information about protecting largerchildren.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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 thedriver's and front passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

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 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 19). Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page 17). 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 thedriver 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

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 29 for additional information on
protecting infants. 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 36 for
additional information on protecting
small children.

CONTINUED

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, Honda is confident thatone 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 adifferent one that will fit.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Placing a Child Seat

This page briefly summarizes
Honda's recommendations on where

to place rear-facing and forward-

facing child seats in your car.
Front Passenger's Seat

Infants: Never in the front seat, clue
to the passenger's airbag hazard.

Small children: Not recommended,
due to the passenger's airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride in front, move the vehicle seat to
the rear-most position and secure a front-facing child seat with theseat belt (see page 34).

Back Seats
Infants: Recommended positions.
Secure a rear-facing child seat
with the seat belt (see page 30 ).

Small children: Recommended
positions. Secure a front-facingchild seat with the seat belt (see
page 34 ).
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Airbag
s Pos e Seriou s
Risk s t o Childre n
The passenger's airbag inflates
with enough force to kill or seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a forward-facing child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too far forward, or the child's head is thrown
forward during a collision, an
inflating airbag can kill or seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions
provided in this section. CONTINUED