Along with the Honda Urban SUV Concept, Honda also debuted the Gear Concept last week.
Here at Mike Pruitt Honda, we’re ready for the holidays! We’ve got our Showroom decked out in bows and ribbons!
Honda LaneWatch Technology Eliminates Blind Spots
Available for the first time on the redesigned 2013 Honda Accord sedan and coupe, LaneWatch integrates a rearview camera right into the right-hand mirror, to provide a wide-angle view of the “blind spot” area at the car’s right.
One of the most worrisome concerns on multi-lane highways is the sudden appearance of a vehicle zooming up alongside you on the right. We’ve all had it happen – and many of us have experienced a “close call,” starting to edge to the right just as that out-of-nowhere vehicle turns up in the adjacent lane.
Honda has a most helpful remedy for those situations, with its new LaneWatch feature. Whenever the turn-signal lever is pushed upward, to signal a right turn or lane change, a clear, sharp image of the roadway to the rear of that passenger-side mirror appears on the deep-set 8-inch video screen at the center of the dashboard. LaneWatch can be configured to operate when pushing a button on the turn-signal stalk.
At a glance, you can tell if any vehicles are in that right lane, behind you – and possibly coming up fast. The image from the mirror-mounted camera takes precedence over whatever else might have been displayed on the screen a moment before. As soon as the turn signal goes off, the camera view disappears and the previous information is displayed again.
Quite a few cars nowadays have warnings of some sort to indicate that a vehicle may be present in the right-hand lane. Most common is a blinking warning light mounted right in the mirror–typically, for both the driver’s side and the passenger side. Several vehicles have turned to tiny camera images right in the mirror. Those are helpful, to be sure; but that sizable image in the video screen is better yet.
Honda’s LaneWatch is standard on sedans in the EX trim level and higher (not on LX), and on Accord EX-L coupes and the new Accord Plug-In.
Accord controls aren’t nearly as helpful as LaneWatch, because like so many automakers nowadays, Honda packs too many entertainment and convenience features into the car. Trying to extricate yourself after inadvertently pushing an incorrect button can be an exercise in futility, as well as a potentially dangerous distraction. But having a big, bright view of that right-hand lane before making a lane-change is a major step ahead in safety. Let’s hope other automakers follow Honda’s lead, and that additional Honda/Acura models get the LaneWatch feature, too.
Original article courtesy of Automedia
