2000 Honda Civic Owner's Manual - Page 34

Protecting Children Additional Precautions for Infants Never hold an infant on your lap. Protecting Small Children If you are not wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could be thrown forward into the dashboard and crush the infant. If you are wearing a seat belt, the infant can be torn from your arms. For example, if your car crashes into a parked vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 20-lb (9 kg) infant will become a 600-lb (275 kg) force, and you will not be able to hold on. Child Seat Type 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. Child Seat Placement In this car, 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 car seat is too far forward, or the child's head is thrown forward during a collision, an inflating passenger's airbag can strike 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. Never put a seat belt over yourself and an infant. During a crash, the belt could press deep into the infant and cause very serious injuries. 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 fivepoint harness system as shown. CONTINUED Driver and Passenger Safety