Most people have little or no understanding of the hi-tech safety systems in today’s cars.
At least that’s the finding of a survey of 1200 new car buyers looking to purchase a vehicle in the next two years.
Commissioned by Honda, the study shows that customers generally understand airbags, anti-lock brakes and safe body structures — but their knowledge of many of the newer safety technologies is quite low.
Only about 10 per cent pf people understand Lane keeping assist/lane departure warning/lane change monitor, or accident avoidance/collision detection/warning signal technologies.
However, the study found the appeal of advanced safety features increased significantly with education.
So Honda believes a significant opportunity exists to educate the market on the importance and benefit of crash prevention technology (and presumably make more money).
Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins says it is clear that in talking with customers the approach needs to include an education message.
“With this knowledge we plan to stagger the rollout of Honda Sensing and at the same time educate customers, ensuring they walk the journey with us and understand how Honda Sensing will complement their driving experience,” he said.
Honda Sensing refers to a suite of safety technologies, designed to assist the driver not replace them in any way, while keeping driving fun.
It consists of six technologies and was born out of the brand’s global safety concept of ‘Safety for Everyone’ aiming to realise a collision-free society in which everyone, not only vehicle occupants, can share the roads safely.
More than 20 per cent of current models are already fitted with Honda Sensing as standard equipment, including the Honda Accord, Civic sedan, Civic hatch, CR-V and Odyssey.
The next generation of vehicles will be fitted with Sensing as standard across the range.
“Australian new car buyers are becoming increasingly aware of the latest safety technology in vehicles across the board but there is confusion on how they work,” Collins said.
“Honda is committed to bringing cars to the Australian market that are as competitively priced and value-packed as possible, and having the very best in safety technology is one of our highest priorities.
“Honda is well known for its excellence in engineering and while we are not first to market with this technology, we strive to ensure we are best to market.
“I’m confident that our Honda Sensing package will provide Australian consumers with a system that is intuitive and effective in its role of driver assistance.”
Honda Sensing suite includes:
- Forward Collision Warning (FCW)
- Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
- Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM)
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low Speed Follow (LSF)
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