HONDA S2000 2000 1.G Owner's Manual

Protecting Adults
Additional Safety Precautions
• 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.
18 Driver and Passenger Safety
• 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.
• Keep your hands and arms away
from the airbag covers. If your
hands or arms are close to the
SRS
covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured
if
the 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.

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.
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.
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
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
26 .)
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See page
29 .)
Driver and Passenger Safety 19

Protecting Children
Your Car is Not Recommended
for Child Passengers
We strongly recommend that you do
not carry any child in this car.
One reason is that your car does not
have a back seat, and accident
statistics show that a child of any
size or age is safer when they are
properly restrained
in the back seat
of a vehicle.
In addition, your car
has a passenger's
air bag which poses serious risks to
children-particularly infants and
small children.
20 Driver and Passenger Safety
The Passenger's Airbag Poses
Serious Risks to Children
Airbags have been designed to help
protect adults
in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To
do this,
the passenger's airbag is quite large,
and it inflates with tremendous
speed.
As a result, we urge you to follow
these guidelines.
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat of a car equipped with
a
passenger's airbag. If the air bag
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
f01ward-facing child seat in
the front seat of a car 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.
If a
small child must ride
in this car,
follow the instructions on page
23 .
Larger Children
Children who
have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured
or killed by an inflating passenger's
airbag. If a larger child must ride in
this car, see page 29 for important
guidelines on how to decide whether
a child is large enough and mature
enough to ride as a passenger, and
how to properly protect the child.

U.S. Models
To remind you of the passenger's
airbag hazards, your car
has warning
labels on the dashboard and on the
driver's and passenger's visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
A WARNING
®
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur • Children 12 and under can be krlled by the rur bag • NEVER pula rear-facrng chrld seat rn lhe front • Sri as far back as possrble !rom !he arr bag • ALWAYS use SEAT BELTS and CHILD RESTRAINTS
A WARNING
Children Can Be KILLED or INJURED
by Passenger Air Bag
MaKe sure all cnildren use sea! bells or cnild seals.
Canadian Models
To remind you of the airbag hazards,
your car has warning labels on the
driver's and passenger's visors.
Please read and follow
the
instructions on these labels.
CAUTION 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 FRONT
PASSENGER 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.
Protecting Children
PRECAUTIONS:
POUR EVITER DES BLESSURES GRAVES:
• POUR PROFITER D'UNE PROTECTIOON
~~3j~t~Es ~cffR~· ~NEE?N~LQ-~~~~ ~~~~~T~E. • NINSTALLEZ JAMAIS UN SIEGE POUR ENFANTS FAISANT FACE A L'ARRIERE SUR LE SIEGE DU PASSAGER AVANT.
• NE VOUS APPUYEZ PAS ET NE VOUS ASSOYEZ
PAS PRES DU COUSSIN GONFLABLE. • NE DEPOSEZ AUCUN OBJET SUR LE COUSSIN GONFLABLE OU ENTRE LE COUSSIN GONFLABLE ET VOUS. e LISEZ LE GUIDE UTILISATEUR POUR DE PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS.
Driver and Passenger Safety 21

Protecting Children
Additional Safety Precaution
• Do not leave a child alone in your
car. Leaving a child without adult
supervision is illegal
in most states
and Canadian provinces and can
be very hazardous. For example, a
small child left
in a car on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. A
child left alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
car
in motion, possibly injuring
themselves
or others.
22 Driver and Passenger Safety
General Guidelines for Using
Child
Seats
As discussed on page 20, because
your car does not have a back seat,
and because
of the passenger's
airbag hazard, we strongly
recommend that you
do not carry a
small child as a passenger
in this car.
However,
if you must carry a small
child
in this car, the child must be
properly restrained in a child seat.
The following pages give general
guidelines for selecting and installing
a child seat.
See page 26 for
additional information.
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 3. The child seat should fit the
proper type and size to fit the child. passenger's seat.
Small Children: A child who can sit
up without support should be
restrained in a forward-facing child
seat.
See page 26 for additional
information on protecting small
children. Due
to variations
in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts,
all child seats will not fit all
seating positions in all cars.
However, Honda is confident
that
one or more child seat models can fit
and be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions
in
your car.
Protecting Children
Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend
that parents test the
child seat to make sure it fits
properly
in the passenger's seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not fit, you
will need to buy a
different one that will fit.
CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety 23

Protecting Children
Placing a Child Seat
This page briefly summarizes
Honda's recommendations on where
to place a child seat in your car.
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
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 this
car, follow the instructions
provided in this section.
24 Driver and Passenger Safety
Passenger's Seat
Infants: Never in the passenger's
seat, due to
the passenger's airbag
hazard.
Small children: Not recommended,
due to
the passenger's airbag
hazard.
If a small child must ride
in this car, move the vehicle seat
to the rear-most position and
secure a front-facing child seat
with
the seat belt. (see page 27).
This car is not equipped with a
tether attachment point.

Installing a Child Seat
Mter selecting a proper child seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:
1. Secure the child seat to the car
with a
seat belt. All child seats
must be secured to the car with
the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt.
A child whose seat is not properly
secured to
the car can be
endangered
in a crash. See page
27 for instructions on how to
secure a forward-facing child seat
in this car.
2. Make sure the child seat is firmly
secured. Mter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure. To
provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as firmly
as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be
"rock solid." It may be difficult
to install a child seat so that it does
not move at
all. Some side-to-side or
back-and-forth movement can be
expected and should not reduce the
child seat's effectiveness.
Protecting Children
3. Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure the child is properly
strapped in the child seat
according to
the child seat maker's
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be thrown out of the seat
in a
crash and seriously injured.
Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a safe
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
Driver and Passenger Safety 25

Protecting Children
Protecting Small Children
The passenger's airbag poses
serious risks to small children.
If the
vehicle seat is too far forward, or the
child's head is thrown forward
during a collision, or
the child is
unrestrained or improperly
restrained, an inflating airbag can kill
or seriously injure the child.
For these reasons, we recommend
that you
do not carry a small child as
a passenger.
26 Driver and Passenger Safety
If you decide to carry a small child in
this car, follow the instructions and
guidelines below.
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 the child reaches the
weight or height limit for the seat.
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.

Child Seat Installation
The passenger's seat belt has a
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat.
The following pages provide
instructions and tips on how to
secure a forward-facing child seat
with this type of seat belt.
1. Move the vehicle seat to the rear­
most position. Moving the seat as
far back as possible reduces the
chance of a child being injured or
killed
if the passenger's airbag
inflates. (See page
68 for
instructions on how to adjust the
seat.)
2. With the child seat in position,
route the belt through the child
seat according to the seat maker's
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
Protecting Children
3. 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).
4. 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.
CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety 27