2003 Honda Accord Owner's Manual - Page 13

Protecting Adults The rest of this section gives more detailed information about how you can maximize your safety. Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or deaths that can occur in severe crashes, even when seat belts are properly worn and the airbags deploy. Introduction The following pages provide instructions on how to properly protect the driver and other adult occupants. These instructions also apply to children who have outgrown child seats and are large enough to wear lap/shoulder belts. (See page 36 for important additional guidelines on how to properly protect larger children.) 1.Close and Lock the Doors After everyone has entered the car, be sure the doors are closed and locked. Your car has a door monitor light on the instrument panel to indicate when a specific door is not tightly closed. For safety, locking the doors reduces the chance that a passenger, especially a child, will open a door while the car is moving and accidentally fall out. It also reduces the chance of someone being thrown out of the car during a crash. For security, locked doors can prevent an outsider from unexpectedly opening a door when you come to a stop. See page 78 for how to lock the doors. 12 Driver and Passenger Safety