Driver training, along with the application of technologies, are the main lines of action to achieve the goal of zero deaths by 2050 from road accidents involving Honda vehicles worldwide
Honda Spain began its actions in favor of motorcyclist safety in 1992 with the launch of the Honda Driving School (HEC). In 2022, the year of its 30th anniversary, the HEC will reach a spectacular 90,000 motorcyclists who have benefited from its training program. If, in addition, the various actions to promote road safety are added up, 192,000 beneficiaries are added. Driver training, along with the application of technologies, are the main lines of action to achieve the goal of zero deaths by 2050 from road accidents involving Honda vehicles worldwide.
For Honda, the safety of motorcyclists is a priority and one of the most important pillars of social responsibility. In 1970 it became a pioneer in the training of motorcyclists with the establishment in Japan of the Traffic Safety Promotion Division, which launched a training method that was exported all over the world until it currently has more than fifty international centers.
In Spain, Honda’s work in the field of Preventive Training began in 1992 with the launch of the Honda Driving School (HEC), one of the first entities dedicated to training motorcyclists at the national level, which started its activity with road education courses and improving motorcycling.
“For Honda, the safety of motorcyclists is not an option as it is part of our responsibility as a manufacturer. With annual production of 20 million units and more than 400 million units, Honda is the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. However, our role is not limited to providing mobility solutions to millions of people around the world, but also to taking care of their safety through special technology and another aspect, the training of motorcyclists,” he explains.
Albert Cavero, Communications Director of Honda Motor Europe Spain. “And it has been proven that nearly 90% of accidents are due to the human factor, so user training is vital when it comes to reducing the number of accidents,” he adds.
As early as 1994, Honda took an important step in Spain by establishing its first permanent training center in the facilities of the city of Santa Perpètua de Mogoda in Barcelona. A first paved road was built, which made it possible to centralize and develop the HEC courses, complemented by touring activities, moving monitors, driving simulators, motorcycles and training materials, and the provision of free driver training in secondary schools.
These facilities would lay the foundation for the Honda Institute of Safety (HIS), a large complex dedicated to the training of motorcyclists, inaugurated in 2009 and transformed into a benchmark at European level, enabling an investment of more than 4 million euros by the brand. was involved. The HIS has over 20,000 m2 of facilities designed exclusively for training and offers a wide range of courses available for every motorcyclist profile, regardless of age, driver’s license or experience level. The program includes a total of 12 courses designed to meet the needs of all types of users: from 6-year-olds to the most experienced adults, with specific facilities such as classrooms for theoretical sessions, driving simulators, a training workshop, changing rooms and a garage with more than 60 motorcycles of different models.
In addition, the center has three tracks: a multifunctional track of 8,000 m2; a site of 6,000 m2; and a slide where various braking exercises are performed with motorcycles modified with stabilizers. All this translates into an excellent evaluation by the students (9.5 points out of 10 in satisfaction index) and in 2018 the first motorcycle training center at national level to receive the European Training Quality Seal. «Our starting point is to offer all possible facilities to encourage participation, so much so that we include the transfer of helmet, gloves and protection, as well as the motorcycle, insurance and petrol in the cost of the course -says Albert Cavero-.
Honda allocates much of its
annual investment in O+D+i in three axes: Active, Passive and Preventive Security. The first two refer to those technologies built into vehicles that can minimize the risk of accidents or reduce their consequences, such as electronic ABS, engine mode management, steering damper, automatic suspension control, airbags, etc. In this area, Honda has always been the led the technological development of advanced driver assistance systems, not only applied to its high-end models (such as the exclusive Airbag fitted to the Honda Goldwing since 2007, the only motorcycle to equip this device as standard ). original), but also on their small-displacement motorcycles and scooters.
In that sense, Honda Motor’s World President Toshihiro Mibe has announced that initiatives will be taken to further ensure the safety of Honda customers. mr. Mibe reaffirmed the goal of eliminating motorcycle and Honda car fatalities worldwide by 2050 (and a 50% reduction by 2030).
An ambitious goal that will be pursued, on the one hand, by strengthening research and investment in safety technologies, such as new advanced omnidirectional assistance systems that connect the driver with other vehicles and road infrastructure, helping to predict potential risks and help people to avoid them before collisions occur. take place, as well as artificial intelligence systems that adapt to the capacity and situation of each individual to reduce driving errors and risks.
And on the other hand, through greater promotion of the third axle, Preventive Safety, which, in addition to signaling technologies (emergency brake indicators, high-power lighting systems, etc.), fulfills Honda as a pioneer in the two-wheel sector, giving it a high level of knowledge and experience built up in training material for motorcyclists. HEC will therefore be a fundamental pillar in achieving this goal of zero deaths.
We had the opportunity to put all this theory into practice by attending one of their courses, in this case the advanced level, which combines anticipation and control exercises on asphalt with a fun second stage on the dirt road on the CRF 110 , mainly aimed at provoking and controlling the motorcycle in a skid when entering and exiting corners. Although I have a lot of miles on the bike, I must admit that it is always interesting that knowledgeable people, such as the monitors of the HIS, show you which vices have been acquired over time and that they can be improved with a little attention. In my opinion everything learned in my case is very useful and of course almost essential for anyone starting out in the motorcycle world.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
