Enhancing Safety Across the Board: Honda Advances through Simulation, Instruction, Charity, and Guidance
In a bold move towards road safety, Honda has announced a comprehensive strategy to eliminate traffic collision fatalities by 2050. This strategy extends beyond advanced safety technologies, encompassing education, community engagement, AI integration, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
Honda's road safety education and awareness initiatives are at the forefront of this strategy. The company invests in strategic sensitization programs, both online and offline, to promote road safety and influence driver behaviour, particularly among high-risk groups such as teen drivers.
One such initiative is the Honda Driver Coaching app, designed to improve the safety of young drivers. This app provides real-time coaching and awareness, addressing the fact that nearly one-third of traffic fatalities involve drivers under 25. The app analyses driver inputs including steering, braking, and acceleration in real time, instructing the driver when they need assistance. It calculates a driving score and provides specific driving tips to users to track their progress.
Honda's commitment to road safety also includes the development of AI-powered systems for future vehicles. These systems will learn from driving habits and environmental data to offer safety suggestions and help prevent collisions. This technology will be particularly prominent in Honda's upcoming 0-Series EV platform.
Community engagement and localisation are also key components of Honda's strategy. In key markets like India, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) pairs production expansion with strong community engagement and sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing fatalities and promoting green mobility.
Honda's approach to safety also includes sustainable and localised manufacturing. The company aims to localise production and embed sustainability across operations to support broader safety and environmental goals aligned with zero fatality targets.
Honda's efforts in road safety also extend to its crash-test facilities. The company operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash-test facilities in Ohio and Japan, using proprietary body structures and airbag technology to improve vehicle crashworthiness and pedestrian safety.
Honda's commitment to road safety is not limited to new models. The company is dedicated to achieving zero traffic collision fatalities involving its automobiles and motorcycles, including older models still on the road.
Honda's safety focus extends beyond advanced technologies. The company is trialling a new young driver training program called "Safety Training Awareness & Responsibility for Teens" (START) at its Indiana Automobile Plant and plans to expand the program to additional locations. Honda also operates three rider education centres in California, Georgia, and Ohio, providing both on and off-road training for more than 11,000 riders each year.
Since 2021, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation have provided over $6 million in funding to nonprofit safety organisations. The Honda Driver Coaching app also has an extensive library of driver training videos for users to watch when not driving.
Honda Safety Driven, a multi-year safety initiative in partnership with Discovery Education, is aimed at addressing the nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities involving drivers under the age of 25. The initiative includes a virtual field trip for students in grades 3-12, bringing them inside Honda's Automotive Safety Research Facility and the Driving Simulation Laboratory at The Ohio State University.
Honda believes that technology alone cannot fully prevent future traffic fatalities in older models, necessitating a collaborative approach. The company is committed to continuing its innovation in crashworthiness and crash prevention technologies, with the Honda Driver Coaching smartphone app introduced in June 2023 being a testament to this commitment.
[1] Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (2023). Honda's Vision for a Safer Future. Retrieved from https://global.honda/investors/ir/library/presentation/2023/06/29/01_eng_e.pdf
[2] Honda North America, Inc. (2023). Honda Safety Driven. Retrieved from https://hondanews.com/honda-safety-driven
[3] Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (2023). Honda Safety Driven: A Multi-Year Safety Initiative in Partnership with Discovery Education. Retrieved from https://global.honda/newsroom/releases/2023/0428_01_e.html
[4] Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (2023). Honda's Sustainability Vision 2050. Retrieved from https://global.honda/investors/ir/library/presentation/2023/06/29/02_eng_e.pdf
[5] Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (2023). Honda's 0-Series EV Platform: A Leap into the Future of Sustainable Mobility. Retrieved from https://global.honda/newsroom/releases/2023/0315_01_e.html
In adherence to their sustainability vision for 2050, Honda is investigating finance opportunities to fund their development of AI-powered systems and safety technologies in future vehicles, such as the 0-Series EV platform.
Honda's safety training program, START, in collaboration with Discovery Education, seeks to enlighten young drivers about precautionary measures in sports like motorsports and road safety, in an bid to reduce traffic collision fatalities involving drivers under 25.
