The Sophisticated Honda Sensing Suite: Why Honda Puts Your Safety First

Honda envisions a future with zero collisions, and that’s the inspiration behind the automaker’s global concept of “Safety for Everyone” and the Honda Sensing suite. After years of analysis and research, Honda discovered that most accidents were caused by cars veering from their lanes and into other cars, objects, or pedestrians. This inspired the early beginnings of the Honda Sensing suite, which is designed to keep driving fun while minimizing the potential for collisions at every turn.

The Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) System tackles the most common cause of collisions – a vehicle straying from its lane. This tool helps you keep your Honda centered in its lane by using cameras to monitor the lane boundaries and the vehicle’s position within those boundaries. If the vehicle veers across the line without an active turn signal, RDM will alert you with a visual warning and vibration of the steering wheel. It will also subtly steer the vehicle back into its lane. Should the Honda veer too far from its lane without correction from the driver, RDM will apply corrective steering and braking force to help resolve the issue.

When a vehicle strays from its lane, anything in its path can be harmed, including pedestrians. Honda’s Pedestrian Collision Mitigation Steering System works to reduce the risk of pedestrian-involved collisions by detecting pedestrians and monitoring the vehicle’s position in its lane. Should the Honda stray from its lane and toward a pedestrian, the system alerts you to the potential collision with audio and visual warnings while turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction. This turns the vehicle away from the pedestrian and further danger.

You’ve probably noticed that the RDM system can apply braking force when it detects the Honda is straying from its lane. Part of this technology comes from the Collision Mitigation Braking System or CMBS. The system uses a camera and radar to monitor the position of other vehicles and pedestrians. When it senses a heightened risk for collision, it alerts the driver with audio and visual warnings in addition to vibrating the accelerator pedal. It can also vibrate the steering wheel if the Honda veers into oncoming traffic.

The alerts are intended to solicit a reaction from the driver, i.e. braking. However, sometimes this doesn’t always happen, such as in the event the driver is unconscious from a heart attack or another emergency. When this occurs, the CMBS determines if a collision cannot be avoided and automatically applies hard emergency braking to bring the Honda safely to a stop.

Honda’s priority with keeping your Honda in its lane continues with the Lane Keeping Assist System. Unlike the previous tools, LKAS is designed to reduce the driver’s burden and minimize fatigue behind the wheel, the latter of which can lead to accidents as well. LKAS uses a camera to monitor the lane markings (both solid and broken lines) and the vehicle’s position. As you navigate the road, this system will alert you by vibrating the steering wheel if it anticipates the vehicle will stray from its lane.

Safety and driver-assist tools are also meant to be fun and engaging, which is what you’ll find in Honda’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow. Traditional cruise control requires you to constantly monitor the flow of traffic and adjust your cruising speed accordingly. ACC, however, eliminates this hassle by using a camera and radar to monitor the flow of traffic. When traffic becomes congested, it automatically adjusts your Honda’s cruising speed to maintain a safe distance from the vehicles ahead. What’s truly remarkable is that the system operates both at high speeds and in standstill traffic, which reduces the stress of your rush-hour commute!

How often have you been driving on a stretch of highway but failed to see a speed limit sign? This happens a lot, which is why Honda mitigates the potential for speeding and those pesky speeding tickets with tools like Traffic Sign Recognition. Your Honda’s camera recognizes traffic signs and will display the information on your multi-information display behind the steering wheel or in the head-up display if your Honda is equipped with that feature.

The Honda Sensing suite acts as an extra set of eyes when you’re on the road. This is especially true with the Blind Spot Information System that actively monitors around the vehicle using radar to detect other vehicles in your blind spots. If the system detects another vehicle but your turn signal isn’t activated, you’ll simply see indicator lights in your Honda’s side mirrors. For example, if a vehicle is to your left, you’ll see indicators on the left side mirror. However, if your turn signal is on and you’re heading toward the detected vehicle, the system will alert you with a flashing indicator and a series of short beeps to warn you to delay changing lanes until it is safe.

Honda LaneWatch is somewhat of an extension of the Blind Spot Information System because it extends your field of vision around the vehicle. Some Honda models are equipped with a camera that’s built into the passenger-side mirror. The tool actively watches for vehicles in your rear blind spot and, when you activate your turn signal, it gives you a live camera feed of what is to your side.

Along with the camera mounted in the passenger-side mirror, you’ll find a camera in the front grille, tailgate, and right-side mirror. These cameras are part of the available Multi-View Camera System that gives you a bird’s eye view around your Honda whether you’re driving at low speeds, navigating a busy intersection with limited visibility, or backing out of a congested parking spot. Together, the cameras capture images around the Honda to give you a complete view of the vehicle and its surroundings. You’ll even find gridlines that calculate the Honda’s position when you’re backing up, which is a huge convenience when you’re parking in a tight spot!

Now that you know more about the Honda Sensing suite and its cutting-edge technology, think about your own vehicle and your experience behind the wheel. Is your current vehicle equipped with technology that truly serves as an extra set of eyes, or are you in desperate need of an upgrade? If so, it might be time to trade in your older model for the newest Accord, Civic, or CR-V so that you can take full advantage of everything Honda has to offer – especially when it comes to keeping you safe on the road.