Honda is testing what it calls its Driving Safety Support Systems (DSSS). 2 vehicles, a Honda Odyssey, Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV-4) and a Honda Forza scooter, are equipped with inter-vehicle and road-to-vehicle communications capabilities, plus other scooters will be used for camera detection purposes.
The purpose of the project is to utilize positional information gleaned from communications between motorcycles, automobiles, and road infrastructure to help prevent certain types of traffic accidents which tend to occur frequently.
Reducing the more common accidents like rear end collisions or the very common turns in front of approaching motorcycles or lane changes where the space is already occupied by a motorcycle can only be a good thing. In fact, anything that keeps cars out of our space seems like a good idea to me. On the other hand, technology like this could easily become integrated into the actual controls of the vehicle, technologically, it’s a very short step from issuing a warning to doing the driving, and I’m a little touchy about letting someone else take over unannounced. Bob Lutz of GM had something to say about that a few years ago.
From Honda:
TOKYO, Japan, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it will conduct testing on public roadways of its Driving Safety Support Systems (DSSS) using inter-vehicle and road-to-vehicle communications. The tests, which will be conducted using the “Honda ASV-4†Advanced Safety Vehicle and other vehicles equipped with advanced safety technology, will be carried out on public roadways in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
This round of testing is being conducted as part of a cooperative project that includes Phase 4 of the Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) project, conducted under the auspices of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Road Transport Bureau, and the DSSS, being developed principally by the Universal Traffic Management Society of Japan (UTMS), which is overseen by the National Police Agency. The purpose of the project is to utilize positional information gleaned from communications between motorcycles, automobiles, and road infrastructure to help prevent certain types of traffic accidents which tend to occur frequently.
Honda will conduct these public-road tests using a Forza scooter and an Odyssey automobile equipped with the inter-vehicle communications technologies being developed as part of the the Honda ASV-4, along with two more of the same models equipped with Honda DSSS technologies. The objectives of the testing will be 1) to verify inter-vehicle and road-to-vehicle communications functions; 2) to verify DSSS functions; and 3) to collect and present data that will contribute to evaluating system effectiveness, thereby contributing to the prevention of accidents involving rear-end collisions, collisions between turning vehicles and oncoming vehicles, and collisions involving turning vehicles with vehicles passing on the inside.
Since late 2007 Honda has also been collecting the necessary data on basic properties affecting the propagation and transmission of radio signals used in inter-vehicle communications. Building on the results of the current round of public-road testing, Honda plans to participate in joint government and private-sector large-scale verification testing scheduled to be carried out in 2008, based on the New IT Reform Strategy (initiated January 19, 2006 by the IT Strategic Headquarters of the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan).
Link: Honda
chris says
If you need this, you shouldn’t be driving anyway. There is a reason behind natural selection.
todd says
All safety features do is drive up the cost of entry level vehicles. Driving will revert to being only for the wealthy and used cars not worth fixing.
The safer people feel in their cars the more reckless they become.
-todd
GenWaylaid says
The most obvious “safety improvement” on the scooter seems to be the GIANT turn signals. Are those really going to make any difference?
christopher says
Paul, i’m with you. give me all the warnings you want, but the day they start taking control away from me, is the day i start removing mandatory safety equipment. . .
Nicolas says
I’ve been thrown on the ground on day, by a driver who did not see my Superhawk passing him in it’s blind spot while changing lanes. Hopefully it was at slow speed and I did not got hurt too much. Normal guy, not an dumass, no natural selection, just not paying enough attention at the end of his long workday. I don’t think I was to blame too much either, I was just at the wrong location at the bad precise time.
Now I’ve seen some commercial for cars (Volvo) who have a blind spot alarm system stuff. A few of my backbones think it’s a good idea. Now as Paul the Nislider says, it needs to stay indicators and alarms, not automated control systems.
I’m also a pro “natural selection” concept, but unfortunately in a car/motorcycle crash this concept always played against the motorcyclist …
Drive fast and safely guys !
Mike says
I think this is a great idea as long as its driver controllable. I dont see what if any problems most motorcyclists would have with this kind of technology that can help or may save there life if someone does the unthinkable and pulls out infront of them.
I give credit to Suzuki over the last few years on there GSX-R bikes for using the intregrated turn signals in the rear tail fairing. They work well at showing the motorcyclists intentions to turn.
Clive Makinson-Sanders says
Natural selection doesn’t happen anymore.
Any time you take control away from the driver youre creating a problem. Especially if the driver doesnt expect to loose control.
If everyone is paying attention most accidents wouldnt happen. Blame is almost always shared, thats why they call them accidents, not purposeful. I sincerely believe that if you pay attention (almost to the point of precognition) you can avoid that soccermom in a hummer on her cellphone changing lanes into you.
Dodgy says
I wonder if Honda will take responsibility when a glitch in the system ‘allows’ someone to be hurt or killed? Or the road authority that makes it mandatory?
And, I wonder if the system will rat on you to the authorities when you are naughty?
Tim says
Given that the system will know where your car is, to the less-than-a-metre and also where you’ve been, it will be able to work out whether you’ve been speeding or not and tax you accordingly.
I’ve seen Minority Report, I want a car that goes up and down on vertical controlled freeways autonomously. Then I can fight the bad guy on the roof…..