You’d be pretty clued into the New Honda City (Petrol) and New City (e:HEV) that were launched by Honda Cars India. While the new launches build on the City’s illustrious legacy, they are also taking the company’s story further with the introduction of its advanced intelligent safety technology, Honda Sensing. But what exactly is Honda Sensing and how does it make a difference to your life?
Honda Sensing is the company’s exclusive Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that’s designed to alert drivers to things that might be missed while driving. It is equipped with a high-performance front camera with a wide-angle, far-reaching detection system to scan the road ahead and alert the driver to identify and anticipate multiple collision scenarios and minimise the risk of accidents. In some cases, it can intervene and initiate emergency braking to avoid or lessen the severity of a collision. Let’s take a look at its key features and how they make everyday driving safer and more convenient:
Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
Imagine the car ahead of you stalling on an expressway. You are moving at a decent clip and so is he. In such a situation, the CBMS reduces the likelihood or severity of a frontal impact by providing advance warning through audio and visual alerts. If the visual and audio alerts don't have the desired effect, CBMS then applies the brakes to avoid an impact.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow
Even if you’re a big car enthusiast, you’d like to feel supported on journeys in a way that makes you relax behind the wheel after a long and stressful day. And if, while doing so, your driving experience becomes safer and more thrilling, that’s even better! This is mainly what adaptive cruise control technology does. This system allows you to maintain an appropriate distance from the vehicle ahead, significantly reducing the burden on you, especially while cruising on highways. The Low Speed Follow function (available in the City e:HEV) extends the same automatic following capability to stop-and-go traffic situations, taking the sting out of bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM)
Have you ever felt driver fatigue set in after a long, tiring drive? In such situations, the RDM can assist in keeping you safe. If you begin crossing into another lane without signaling, the system can provide audio and visual alerts to warn you. It can also provide steering input to help get you back into your lane and if steering assistance isn’t enough, it can apply the brakes as well. The system aids in maintaining awareness of the road ahead and keeping the car within the intended lane.
Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)
It isn’t uncommon to see vehicles drift out of their intended lane on a long highway. This is where LKAS comes in. The system monitors the position of the vehicle with respect to the lane boundary and the electric power steering system gently applies torque to the steering wheel to steer the vehicle back into the lane when an unintentional lane departure is detected.
Lead Car Departure Notification System
Imagine this. Your car has come to a halt in traffic at a red light. Moments later, when the light turns green, the car ahead of you starts moving but you don’t notice this as your attention is elsewhere for a few seconds and so you continue to remain stationary. Safe to say, this is a regular occurrence in most drivers’ lives. But with this system, you will be alerted with audible warnings and visual warnings when the vehicle ahead resumes moving and if you haven’t pressed the accelerator by then.
Auto High-Beam
Driving at night can sometimes be daunting, so a technology that eases the experience can be significantly helpful. And that’s exactly what Auto High-Beam does. While driving with a low beam on a dark road with no streetlights, the system detects the situation and automatically switches to high beam. And when the system detects a preceding or oncoming vehicle that has its headlights or taillights turned on or when there are many streetlights on the road, it automatically switches to low beam.
Thanks to advancements in technological innovation, ADAS systems are being progressively included in modern vehicles, and are proven to reduce the risk of accidents and save lives. Honda developed the Honda Sensing driver-assist system after analysis showed that several fatal road accidents were caused by cars straying from their lanes. The carmaker has applied its deep innovation in active safety and assistive technologies to the Honda Sensing technology and will keep enhancing it further. This system will play a crucial role in achieving Honda’s vision to eliminate traffic collision fatalities involving Honda vehicles globally by 2050.
