HONDA 2003 Civic Hybrid - Owner's Manual - Manual (Page 26)

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 inflates with tremendous
speed.
If
the airbag inflates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
infant.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back.
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward into the
dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
child can be torn from your arms
during a crash. 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.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries.
CONTINUED
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
Inf ants
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger’s f ront airbag.
Additional Precautions to Parents
Never hold an inf ant or child on
your lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and an inf ant or child.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety 23
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