2008 Honda Odyssey Owner's Manual - Page 42

Main Menu Table Of Contents Protecting Children All Children Should Sit in a Back Seat According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes are safer when they are restrained in a back seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children aged 12 and under be properly restrained in a back seat. Some states have laws restricting where children may ride. Children who ride in back are less likely to be injured by striking interior vehicle parts during a collision or hard braking. Also, children cannot be injured by an inflating front airbag when they ride in the back. The Passenger's Front Airbag Can Pose Serious Risks Front airbags have been designed to help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do this, the passenger's front airbag is quite large, and it can inflate with enough force to cause very serious injuries. Even though your vehicle has an advanced front airbag system that automatically turns the passenger's front airbag off (see page 35 ), please follow these guidelines: Infants Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger's front airbag. If General Guidelines Small Children Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger's front airbag can be hazardous. If the vehicle seat is Driver and Passenger Safety too far forward, or the child's head is thrown forward during a collision, an inflating front 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 front airbag. Whenever possible, the airbag inflates, it can hit the back of the child seat with enough force to kill or very seriously injure an infant. larger children should sit in the back seat, on a booster seat if needed, and be properly restrained with a seat belt. (See page 56 for important information about protecting larger children.) CONTINUED 39 2008 Odyssey