Satellite Technology Feature Article
October 22, 2008
Honda Shows Life Saving Motorcycle Technology
By Eve Sullivan, TMCnet Editor
It’s a known fact that driving a motorcycle can be dangerous. In fact, even a minor accident can result in a serious or fatal injury to the driver.
So to improve safety for everyone on the road, Honda (News - Alert) developed a motorcycle to car communication system, called CAR 2 CAR. It’s being demonstrated for the first time in Europe at the CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium, taking place at the Opel Test Track in Dudenhofen, Germany today and tomorrow.
The system warns motorcycle riders and other drivers by an exchange of positioning data from satellite GPS sources. As road users approach intersections, it alerts them if they are on a collision course, allowing them to make a maneuver.
Motorcycle rider fatalities have been on the rise in the past decade. A recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 2004 says that 4008 motorcyclists died in 2004 and 76,000 were injured. About half of all motorcycles involved in a fatal crash collided with another vehicle.
A little over one-third of cyclists that died were speeding, about twice the rate for drivers of passenger vehicles or light trucks. Almost half of the fatal accidents show alcohol involvement.
An article in the Salt Lake Tribune says more motorcycle riders died in Utah in 2008 than ever before, with 32 already this year. One city official says there are more bikes on the road and believes that’s due to the high price of gasoline.
European research shows the majority of accidents involving a motorcycle are caused by perception failures and this system will reduce those failures. The demonstration will exhibit the interoperability of the Honda life-saving system, which facilitates communication with vehicles from eight other manufacturers.
The development of inter-vehicle communication is part of Honda’s ongoing approach to safety for powered two-wheelers. This approach tackles preventive, active and passive safety. The resulting technologies in the field of preventive safety include the Motorcycle Riding Simulator and the Riding Trainer, both of which are used for hazard perception training.
Eve Sullivan is a contributing editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To read more of Eve's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Eve Sullivan
