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Can fun driving be safe? Or, conversely, can safe driving be fun?

For Honda, at least, the answer to these questions is a resounding “yes” and more. Because for Honda, safety does not stop with the vehicle occupants. Safety extends to other vehicles’ passengers and to pedestrians. This is the essence of Honda’s tenet “Safety for Everyone”.

Safety for Drivers and Passengers

Known for their sporty and agile models, Honda makes sure that their cars’ safety features won’t be left behind either. In fact, Honda believes that fun driving go hand in hand with safe driving. Some of the features that make Honda a fun car to drive also make it a safe car to ride.

Honda’s safety measures can be classified into two: active and passive. Active safety measures are features that are manually or automatically activated in response to a safety problem or abnormal condition. Passive safety, on the other hand, involves measures that operate on its own.

Let’s start with Honda’s active safety features. Many customers associate excellent steering, handling and braking with driving performance but these qualities can also be attributed to Honda’s advance suspension design, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Traction Control System (TCS), and its anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD).

Stability and control starts with the suspension and Honda vehicles proudly stand on the acclaimed double-wishbone suspension, which provides unprecedented handling and ride comfort in all driving conditions.

VSA and TCS help keep drivers in control during an under steer or over steer condition. These features enhance handling stability while driving on wet or slippery surfaces especially during the rainy season. They also help you stay on course during acceleration, cornering, or sudden collision-avoidance maneuvers. But VSA and TCS are silent workers. With their minimal intrusion on the driving experience, most drivers don’t even notice when these lifesavers are working. The Accord and the 2.4li CR-V are both equipped with VSA while the TCS is available on the 3.5L variant of the Accord.

Honda’s ABS with EBD is another showstopper when it comes to safety. As its name suggests, the ABS prevents wheel lock-up and provides steering control during hard-braking and low-traction conditions. This is complemented by the EBD which automatically adjusts the amount of force applied to each of the brakes to maintain full control.

Moving on to passive safety features, the body structure of any Honda vehicle is designed with the unique G-Force Control technology (G-CON).

Its G-CON technology has been tried out at Honda’s real world car-to-car test facility, the world’s first indoor omni-directional crash test safety facility. G-CON is an impact-absorbing structure, which controls forces exerted on the car body and at the same time controls collision force transferred from the car body to the occupants to reduce injuries to drivers and passengers.

Another passive feature is the SRS airbags. Aside from dual SRS airbags, a more upscale model like the Accord V6 also come with front side airbags and a new-generation curtain airbags to guarantee driver and passenger safety during collision.


Safety for Others

The G-CON protects not only the vehicle occupants but also the other people involved in the collision. Its unique design reduces damage to the other vehicle involved in the collision and minimizes injury to pedestrians.

Honda vehicles have impact-absorbing front areas, the part of the vehicle most likely to injure a pedestrian and they are also designed to reduce injuries around the legs as well. The hood, front fender and bumpers are all designed to absorb impact energy.

For Honda, playing it safe doesn’t have to mean taking out all the fun. Honda’s innovative features allow drivers to experience exhilarating driving pleasure without putting their lives and the lives of others in danger. So yes, being safe can be fun and it makes fun lasts much, much longer.

Be smart and testdrive a Honda now at a dealer nearest you. For more information about Honda and its products, log on to www.hondaphil.com.

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