2004 Honda Civic Owner's Manual - Page 28

Additional Information About Your Airbags How Your Side Airbags Work (On models equipped) Only one airbag will deploy during a side impact. If the impact is on the passenger's side, the passenger's side airbag will deploy even if there is no passenger. To get the best protection from the side airbags, front seat occupants should wear their seat belts and sit upright and well back in their seats. The passenger's side airbag has a cutoff system designed to turn off the passenger's front airbag if a child's head is in the airbag's deployment path (see page 27 ). If the side airbag off indicator comes on, have the passenger sit upright. Once the passenger is out of the deployment path of the side airbag, the system will turn the airbag back on and the indicator will go out. A front seat passenger should not use a cushion or other object as a backrest. It may prevent the cutoff system from working properly. If you ever have a moderate to severe side impact, the sensors will detect rapid deceleration and signal the control unit to instantly inflate either the driver's or the passenger's side airbag. Driver and Passenger Safety 25