A road crash is one of the biggest disasters any motorist can face.

And it’s not just the hassle of delayed journeys and repair costs. A road crash can also result in life-altering injuries or, worse, death.

Although none of us intentionally go out crashing our cars, modern traffic conditions have made things challenging even for the most careful and astute drivers. That’s where active safety systems come in.

Unlike passive safety systems like seatbelts and airbags, which minimize the harm that crash forces inflict on passengers, active safety strives to stop you from crashing in the first place.

Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) is one of several mainstream carmakers who have integrated active safety into their cars with Honda SENSING. Here’s how the system works

Reading the road ahead

Honda SENSING integrates all the vehicle’s basic electronic controls, such as the brakes, steering, and throttle, with a wide-view camera placed behind the windshield.

This acts like a backup driver that can react to road conditions faster than you can.

The camera helps the Adaptive Cruise Control and Low-Speed Follow systems work, such that the car will automatically accelerate and decelerate depending on the set distance to the car in front.

In addition, Honda SENSING has something called Lead Car Departure Notification System, which alerts the driver with audio and visual warnings if it detects that the car in front has moved from a standstill.

And for dire situations when the driver cannot hit the brakes on time, the Collision Mitigation Braking System can perform an emergency stop to prevent or reduce the impact of a crash.

Finally, the system includes Automatic High Beam that dips the headlights so that it doesn’t blind oncoming traffic.

Stay in your lane

Honda SENSING also reads lane markings and makes sure that the vehicle doesn’t deviate suddenly.

This is accomplished by the Road Departure Mitigation and Lane Keep Assist System, which automatically tugs the steering wheel back to the desired lane if it detects a lane change without using turn signals.

This is combined with the Lane Departure Warning System that alerts the driver through visual and audio warnings of the lane deviation. For Hondas, the steering wheel will also vibrate, and an icon will appear on the gauge cluster.

An integral part of vehicle safety ratings

AutoFun Philippines was able to put all these systems to the test in its full review of the Honda HR-V Turbo.

We found that the Honda SENSING worked well at all speeds, especially on long journeys on the expressway. It also alerted us when we had to brake immediately, even at city speeds.

Aside from the HR-V, Honda SENSING is also available on the Civic, Civic Type R, BR-V, and CR-V.

“Honda SENSING represents Honda’s unwavering commitment to realizing “Safety for Everyone,” said HCPI president Masahiko Nakamura in a December 2022 press statement.

“As we expand the line-up of vehicles equipped with this intelligent safety and driver-assist system, we are pursuing the goal of zero traffic collision fatalities from Honda vehicles,” Nakamura added. “With the collective effort of vehicle owners, dealers, car makers, and all road users, we can meaningfully improve road safety.”

Active safety systems play a part in the latest ratings of the ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme, making up 20 percent of the final score.

The BR-V and HR-V both got the maximum five stars from crash tests that the independent, non-profit organization published this year.

However, HCPI reminded drivers that systems like Honda SENSING still require you to be aware and responsible on the road.

Do you think active safety systems make our roads safer?