Honda Accord, CR-V, Element, Odyssey and Pilot; Acura MDX and RDX all
receive top crash safety ratings from IIHS
TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A total of seven Honda and
Acura models, including the all-new 2008 Honda Accord, have earned the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK award for
2008, the highest rating possible from the nonprofit research organization.
The annual award recognizes vehicles that perform best in protecting
passengers in the Institute's front, side and rear crash test evaluations,
and includes only vehicles with electronic stability control (branded as
Vehicle Stability Assist(TM) (VSA(R)) on Honda and Acura vehicles) plus
head protection airbags.
TOP SAFETY PICK awards for the Honda Division include the 2008 Accord,
CR-V, Element, Odyssey and Pilot. TOP SAFETY PICK awards for the Acura
Division include the 2008 MDX and RDX. Honda and Acura have the industry's
most TOP SAFETY PICK awards for vehicles where head protection airbags and
electronic stability control are standard equipment.
The total 2008 model year sales volume of all Honda and Acura vehicles
that achieve the TOP SAFETY PICK award is projected to account for
approximately two-thirds of the company's sales volume and exceed 1 million
vehicles -- more than any other automaker, based on industry sales
projections.
"Honda has consistently challenged itself to pursue vehicle safety as
part of its core business strategy," said Dick Colliver, executive vice
president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "American Honda will put more
Top Safety Pick-rated vehicles on the road next year than any other
automaker."
Honda seeks to provide a high level of occupant protection and
pedestrian injury mitigation in all of its cars and trucks through a
comprehensive and evolving approach to vehicle safety. This process, which
honors the company's "Safety for Everyone" initiative introduced in 2003,
benefits all new Honda and Acura vehicles -- regardless of size or price --
while also increasing compatibility with other types of vehicles in a
frontal collision.
The 2008 Honda Accord, with a projected annual sales volume of
approximately 400,000 vehicles -- more than any other TOP SAFETY PICK
vehicle -- exemplifies the Honda approach to safety.
Every Accord incorporates newly-designed side-curtain airbags and
dual-chamber, front-side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position
Detection System (OPDS); and active front seat head restraints that are
designed to help reduce the severity of neck injury in the event of a rear
collision. An Advanced Compatibility Engineering(TM) (ACE(TM)) body
structure in the front of the vehicle makes the new Accord highly effective
at absorbing the energy of a frontal crash and helps minimize the potential
for under-ride or over-ride situations that can occur during head-on or
offset-frontal impacts with a significantly larger or smaller vehicle.
Vehicle Stability Assist and an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with brake
assist are standard equipment on every Accord.
Additional standard safety features include dual-stage, dual-threshold
front airbags, front seatbelts with automatic-tensioning systems and load
limiters, and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the
vehicle. Driver and front passenger seatbelt reminders and daytime running
lights are also standard equipment.
The 2008 Accord Sedan has received a five-star frontal crash safety
rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for
both the driver and the front passenger.
Honda operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test
laboratories for development of improved safety designs and technologies.
The Tochigi, Japan, facility was the world's first indoor omni-directional
car-to-car crash testing facility and has played a critical role in the
development of enhanced designs for occupant and pedestrian safety, as well
as vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility.
Honda R&D America's Raymond, Ohio, development center performs advanced
testing on all U.S.-developed models. The facility features the world's
first pitching test sled, which aids efficiency by enabling economical and
speedy crash-test simulations with certain interior safety components, such
as seats and seatbelts, prior to conducting a crash test with an actual
vehicle. It also features one of the world's highest-resolution impact
barriers, which enables precise measurement of the distribution of impact
load forces on a vehicle, allowing for even more advanced vehicle designs.
2008 Honda Safety Rating Highlights for IIHS and NHTSA
Model IIHS Crash Safety Rating NHTSA Crash Safety Rating(1)
Accord TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP(2)
CR-V TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
Element TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
Pilot TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
Odyssey TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
2008 Acura Safety Rating Highlights for IIHS and NHTSA
Model IIHS Crash Safety Rating NHTSA Crash Safety Rating(1)
MDX TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
RDX TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008 5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
(1) Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) New Car Assessment Program
(http://www.safercar.gov). Model tested with standard side-impact air
bags (SABs).
(2) NHTSA test rating for Accord Sedan. Accord Sedan SINCAP, Accord Coupe
NCAP and Accord SINCAP are designated "to be rated" at time of
printing.
SOURCE American Honda
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Related links:
http://www.honda.com
CONTACT:
Sage Marie of Honda, +1-310-783-3163; or Mike
Spencer of Acura, +1-310-783-3165
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