TOKYO, Japan, September 4, 2008 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that its pop-up hood system, which reduces the possibility of serious impact to the pedestrian's head region in the event of a collision with a pedestrian by raising the hood to provide added engine compartment clearance, will be mounted on the new Legend for launch on September 5, a first for a Honda model commercially available in Japan.

The pop-up hood system employs three G-sensors on the right, left, and center inside the front bumper and a vehicle speed sensor, in order to detect impact with a pedestrian. If impact is detected, the pop-up hood system signals an actuator to raise the rear portion of the engine hood approximately 10cm. This action reduces pedestrian head injuries by providing a space between the hood, the engine, and other hard components.

Use of the pop-up hood system can result in a significant reduction^*1 in head injury criteria (HIC) values according to Honda internal research. This achieves a higher level of pedestrian safety performance even in models where design considerations make it difficult to provide ample clearance between the hood, the engine and other hard components.

Honda first introduced its Pedestrian Injury Reduction Body with the HR-V in 1998, employing a structure designed to reduce impact to the head, the area of many life-threatening injuries. With the release of the Civic in 2000, further measures were added to reduce harm to the legs, a common injury location. Impact-absorbing structures were adopted in the engine hood, hood hinges, wiper pivots, front fenders, bumpers, and other components. Currently, most Honda automobiles feature the Pedestrian Injury Reduction Body.

Pedestrian accidental deaths account for approximately 30% of traffic fatalities^*2. In the area of pedestrian-related accidents, Honda has taken the lead over other manufacturers, unveiling the world's first pedestrian dummy, the POLAR I, in 1998, to help clarify the causes and kinematics of accidents involving pedestrians and to support development of pedestrian protection technologies. This was followed in 2000 by the POLAR II, which features an even more human-like structure and is equipped with sensing devices at more key points of measurement. Honda is committed to the further development of technologies designed to help prevent accidents involving pedestrians.