Activities and Technology Development to Adapt to an Ever-Changing Traffic Environment

The traffic ecosystem is a dynamic concept where people and mobility interact to create a seamless flow of traffic. Traffic conditions are ever-changing due to factors like weather changes including heavy snowfall, tourist season congestion, and rush hour jams. Honda believes that to prevent collisions in these varying conditions, it is necessary to develop initiatives that enable smooth interactions among everyone sharing the road, considering their movements and circumstances. These efforts not only safeguard everyone sharing the road but also enhance the overall quality of society. Honda envisions a society where everyone can enjoy freedom of mobility, driven by both safety and a sense of warmth and humanity that inspires movement. To create such a society, rather than relying on technology without human interaction, Honda aims to foster safety driven by people’s own will. By enhancing the inherent mutual respect among everyone sharing the road and encouraging their cooperation through technology, Honda aspires to create a safer society.
The traffic ecosystem Honda envisions includes all traffic participants—motorcycles, automobiles, bicycles, urban mobility, and people of all ages—working together to make traffic smoother and safer. In the future, ensuring the safety of all traffic participants, including vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, will become increasingly important.

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History

In 1998, Honda began offering Internavi, a car navigation system equipped with a communication function that supported safe driving by utilizing driving data collected from vehicles. Later, Honda analyzed the emergency braking data collected from the Internavi system and published the SAFETY MAP service on the Honda website to provide information on areas of high accident frequency in advance. Furthermore, developed the Honda Drive Data Service, which displayed danger areas on a map in real time helping to solve social issues such as disaster prevention and traffic accident prevention. In 2020, Honda began applying Honda CONNECT, an exclusive in-vehicle communication module, to its new cars, providing services that made the driving experience more secure and comfortable. These efforts are also being deployed outside of Japan in accordance with regional circumstances.

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Main Technologies and Activities

In the future, ensuring the safety of everyone sharing the road, including vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, will become increasingly important.
For this reason, in “Traffic Ecosystem (collaboration, development of systems/services)”, we are strengthening our collaboration with international organizations such as the United Nations in relation to traffic safety, toward the year 2030.
We will support safety policies such as institutional reform, awareness-building and infrastructure development by providing the knowledge and know-how cultivated through Honda’s long-standing safety activities to countries around the world, with a focus on emerging countries, through such organizations.
In addition, transportation infrastructure will be further developed as the proliferation and evolution of communication terminals such as smart phones and IoT-enabled equipment and mobility progresses. Along with the development of infrastructure, Honda will continue its research and development, and activities optimized for traffic safety.

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Toward the Future
Safe and Secure Network

Toward 2050, Honda will further enhance its connected technologies developed over the years and focus on Safe and Sound Network Technology.
Specifically, this technology assesses drivers’ risks, such as decreased concentration, and detects early signs of collisions. The risks detected are then communicated to surrounding road users, helping them prepare and respond before risks materialize.
Honda is working to advance the social implementation of this technology through industry-government-academia collaboration, including infrastructure development.
This approach allows everyone sharing the road to pay attention to each other’s movements, take coordinated actions, and prevent accidents before they occur.

Safe and Sound Network Technology (Conceptual Diagram)

＜three core elements＞The Safe and Sound Network Technology consists of three core elements: “Understanding Human Characteristics,” “Prediction and Anticipation,” and “Synlogue-based Communication.” Currently, research and development are progressing in each of these areas.

• Understanding Human Characteristics

• By using technologies such as vital sensing to monitor the driver’s condition in real-time, the impact on driving behavior is statistically analyzed, and specific risk factors are systematically identified.

• Prediction and Anticipation

• Utilizing Digital Twin technology and comprehensive risk assessment algorithms, predictions and forecasts of traffic accidents are made.

• Synlogue-based Communication

• This technology promotes the understanding of latent risks so that everyone sharing the road can prepare before collisions occur.

＜Demonstration experiment＞Participation in Demonstration Experiments through Industry-GovernmentAcademia Collaboration for Smooth Social Implementation Various verifications are being conducted to ensure the smooth implementation of the Safe and Secure Network Technology into our society.

• Project with Cabinet Office

• In October 2023, we participated in the “Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) Phase 3 / Building a Smart Mobility Platform / Research and Development of Support for Preemptive Prevention of Traffic Accidents Through Proactive Risk Notification.” This initiative includes planning use-case verification to study support measures needed to prevent traffic collisions and ensure the safety of vulnerable road users.

• Projects with local governments

• In October 2023, we joined efforts in a local government initiative aimed at creating a smart city by utilizing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in various fields to address regional issues and enhance the convenience of citizens' lives, while also planning to verify social acceptance.

• Projects with companies

• In June 2024, we began a collaboration with SoftBank Corporation and participated in the project titled the “Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure for the Autonomous Driving Era on Expressways.” This initiative, conducted by Central Nippon Expressway Company Limited, took place on a section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway currently under construction, and carried out use-case verification.

Honda is accelerating industry- and public-private sector-led efforts to make the Safe and Sound Network Technology standard in the late 2020s and globally expand its deployment starting in 2030.

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