What is included in the 2021 Honda Sensing safety system?

As automakers around the world continually make their vehicles safer, they have developed a growing number of driver assistance features to help in a variety of situations. Honda has stood at the forefront of these developments for many years with its Honda Sensing System. But what does Honda Sensing actually do, and what’s contained in the all-new Honda Sensing Elite package? Here’s an overview of Honda Sensing’s key features put together by our experts here at Ike Honda in Marion.

What is Honda Sensing?

Image used with permission via HondaNews.com

Honda Sensing is a suite of driver safety features that’s available in almost every Honda model in the United States. Its goal is to improve safety and prevent accidents on the road. This aim is summed up in Honda’s global safety slogan, “Safety for everyone.”

Some of the most popular features included in Honda Sensing are adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking. Adaptive cruise control is a system that can manage your speed when you’re on the highway. It ensures that your Honda keeps a safe distance from the vehicles detected up ahead. The lane-keep assist feature identifies lane markings on the highway and can adjust your steering so that your Accord or Pilot remains centered in the lane.

A related piece of technology is the Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) system. When you change lanes, this system can control your steering and braking to help make sure that your lane change takes place safely. Other Sensing features assist you under specific conditions. For example, if you’re driving at night, your vehicle’s high-beam headlights will activate automatically if you have them set to low-beam with the automatic button activated.

Honda Sensing also includes a traffic sign recognition function. This technology uses a speed camera to alert you to speed limits as you pass through different areas so you can adjust your speed accordingly.

Does Honda Sensing stop the car?

Under certain circumstances, Honda Sensing can bring your vehicle to a stop. Its automatic emergency braking system is known as the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS). CMBS kicks in when it detects an unavoidable collision with a vehicle up ahead. It will apply the brakes if the driver fails to respond to the warning in a timely manner.

However, you should always keep in mind that other situations can arise when you will have to bring your vehicle to a safe stop. The CMBS is not intended as an automated driving feature that removes all responsibility from the driver. Rather, its goal is to provide you with an additional layer of safety in case something unexpected occurs.

Does Honda Sensing have blind spot detection?

Yes, blind spot detection is one of the features in the Sensing package. If you have your turn signal on and the blind spot monitoring system notices a vehicle in a lane alongside you, it will start beeping and blinking to alert you. Another handy feature is Honda’s LaneWatch. This feature activates a camera on the passenger-side mirror whenever you indicate that you want to turn in that direction. The camera streams the view on your display, enabling you to see significantly more than you would in a normal mirror.

Whenever you’re reversing in your Honda, the Sensing system can activate the cross-traffic alert feature to warn you that another vehicle is approaching from the side. The alert consists of several beeps and a signal displayed on your Honda’s rear multi-view camera.

What does Honda Sensing Elite offer?

Sensing Elite is the latest version of Honda’s driver assistance technology package. So far, it has only been released in Japan. The Elite package contains a number of features that allow for automated driving under specific circumstances.

One of Sensing Elite’s headline features is the Traffic Jam Pilot System. This function draws on data provided by three-dimensional maps, a satellite navigation system, and sensors mounted on your vehicle to pilot your car or SUV. For instance, if you end up in heavy traffic on the highway, the system can adjust your speed, apply the brakes, and steer your vehicle so that you experience a smooth ride. To develop this impressive automated driving function, Honda ran tests based on 10 million real-world scenarios.

If you’re using the Traffic Jam Pilot System, Honda Sensing’s indicator lights will be blue on your vehicle’s display. If the system decides that the driver needs to take back control of the vehicle, these lights will turn orange.

Another feature available with Sensing Elite is hands-off functionality. As its name suggests, this feature can perform specific tasks on the highway, even if your hands are not on the steering wheel. These tasks include employing adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist so that you retain a steady speed and continue to follow the correct route. The system can also adjust your steering, acceleration, and braking to safely change lanes while your hands are off the steering wheel. However, the driver must first activate the turn indicator to start the process.

The hands-free system will alert the driver when they need to take over control of the vehicle. These warnings can include an increasingly loud alarm and a vibrating seatbelt. If the driver fails to respond, a safety feature kicks in. This feature will automatically steer your Honda to the outermost lane, alert surrounding drivers by turning on the hazard lights, and brake to bring your vehicle to a safe stop.

Learn More About Driver Safety at Ike Honda in Marion

We hope our overview of Honda’s Sensing system has answered all of your questions about it. Our great selection of Honda inventory here in Marion, from the compact Accord to the family-friendly Passport, comes equipped with many exciting driver assistance features. Why not take a look through our online selection of vehicles to learn more? Alternatively, you can drop by our dealership if you live in Marion, Carbondale, or anywhere else nearby in Illinois.

Our helpful team of auto experts is standing by to assist you with any driver safety query. Feel free to contact us and we’ll do all we can to help you.