xcel
03-09-2007, 10:19 AM
With vehicles receiving high marks in crash tests, firm extends its safety strategy to those on foot. (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/AUTO01/703090394/1148)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Honda_pedestrian_safety_research.jpgChristine Tierney - Detroit News - Mar. 8, 2007
Honda conducts pedestrian safety research with the POLAR II dummy. 2005 Honda Accord shown striking dummy.
Honda Motor Co. has earned recognition for building vehicles designed to protect their occupants in accidents.
Its sport utility vehicles, minivans and Ridgeline pickup have all received five-star ratings from the U.S. government in front- and side-impact crash tests. And Honda's CR-V and Pilot were among seven SUVs the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety chose as top safety picks for 2007.
Now Honda is working to extend protection outside vehicles. "Honda's 'safety-for-everyone' strategy refers not only to the driver and passengers in the car but also to pedestrians," said Tomiji Sugimoto, a vice president at Honda R&D Americas and former head of safety technology in Japan.
Pedestrian safety is a big issue in Japan and Europe, where pedestrians come into close contact with vehicles and account for nearly a third of traffic fatalities. The proportion is much lower in the United States -- just under 13 percent -- but concern is growing here as pedestrian deaths rise, up 4.4 percent in 2005 to more than 4,800.
Accident simulation tests show that pedestrians are often thrown against the hood of the vehicle that struck them, leading European regulators to require automakers to leave space between the hood and the engine to reduce and prevent head injuries. Previously the space between the engine and the hood might have been less than an inch, Sugimoto said in an interview with The Detroit News. In recent years, the automaker has expanded that space to 2 to 3 inches in all Honda vehicles worldwide.
Even before the European rules were enacted, Honda offered technology that used sensors to raise a vehicle's hood slightly in a collision with a pedestrian.
To gauge the effects of collisions on pedestrians, Honda refined its lifelike test dummy, Polar II, in 2000. Changes included "modifying the joint structures to more faithfully represent those of the human body," Honda said in a statement. "The new dummy also incorporates instruments that measure the level of injury in eight regions, including the neck and the leg."
The Japanese automaker also has introduced collapsible wipers -- wipers whose pivot breaks easily under pressure -- to prevent pedestrians from being gouged if they are thrown up against the windshield. The innovation was introduced in the United States in the 2002 Accord sedan and is now featured in all Honda vehicles.
Honda's strategy is to offer its safety systems across the entire Acura and Honda model ranges, rather than just in premium vehicles. "We want core technologies in every car in the lineup, regardless of the size and price," Sugimoto said. "We didn't want customers to say, 'This isn't an option I can " afford.'
The strategy could help the automaker win even more U.S. buyers. "Car companies have to build cars that do everything in this competitive market," David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports, said Thursday. Safety is a growing concern of buyers, he said, and Honda has been able to tout safety features as part of its sales effort.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Honda_pedestrian_safety_research.jpgChristine Tierney - Detroit News - Mar. 8, 2007
Honda conducts pedestrian safety research with the POLAR II dummy. 2005 Honda Accord shown striking dummy.
Honda Motor Co. has earned recognition for building vehicles designed to protect their occupants in accidents.
Its sport utility vehicles, minivans and Ridgeline pickup have all received five-star ratings from the U.S. government in front- and side-impact crash tests. And Honda's CR-V and Pilot were among seven SUVs the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety chose as top safety picks for 2007.
Now Honda is working to extend protection outside vehicles. "Honda's 'safety-for-everyone' strategy refers not only to the driver and passengers in the car but also to pedestrians," said Tomiji Sugimoto, a vice president at Honda R&D Americas and former head of safety technology in Japan.
Pedestrian safety is a big issue in Japan and Europe, where pedestrians come into close contact with vehicles and account for nearly a third of traffic fatalities. The proportion is much lower in the United States -- just under 13 percent -- but concern is growing here as pedestrian deaths rise, up 4.4 percent in 2005 to more than 4,800.
Accident simulation tests show that pedestrians are often thrown against the hood of the vehicle that struck them, leading European regulators to require automakers to leave space between the hood and the engine to reduce and prevent head injuries. Previously the space between the engine and the hood might have been less than an inch, Sugimoto said in an interview with The Detroit News. In recent years, the automaker has expanded that space to 2 to 3 inches in all Honda vehicles worldwide.
Even before the European rules were enacted, Honda offered technology that used sensors to raise a vehicle's hood slightly in a collision with a pedestrian.
To gauge the effects of collisions on pedestrians, Honda refined its lifelike test dummy, Polar II, in 2000. Changes included "modifying the joint structures to more faithfully represent those of the human body," Honda said in a statement. "The new dummy also incorporates instruments that measure the level of injury in eight regions, including the neck and the leg."
The Japanese automaker also has introduced collapsible wipers -- wipers whose pivot breaks easily under pressure -- to prevent pedestrians from being gouged if they are thrown up against the windshield. The innovation was introduced in the United States in the 2002 Accord sedan and is now featured in all Honda vehicles.
Honda's strategy is to offer its safety systems across the entire Acura and Honda model ranges, rather than just in premium vehicles. "We want core technologies in every car in the lineup, regardless of the size and price," Sugimoto said. "We didn't want customers to say, 'This isn't an option I can " afford.'
The strategy could help the automaker win even more U.S. buyers. "Car companies have to build cars that do everything in this competitive market," David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports, said Thursday. Safety is a growing concern of buyers, he said, and Honda has been able to tout safety features as part of its sales effort.