Safety

TOKYO -- Honda Motor Co. is offering a camera system that gives drivers a bird's-eye view of the car to help with parking and visibility in blind corners and intersections. The system uses four wide-angle cameras and will be available in the redesigned Odyssey minivan that goes on sale next month in Japan.

The technology is similar to that developed by Nissan Motor Co. but can be used to navigate tight quarters to the left and right as well as peek around corners at intersections.

(Via: Automotive News)

As if Aston Martin DBS owners don't feel enough like James Bond while driving, Aston Martin and luxury watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre have announced the AMVOX2 DBS transponder watch. The transponder watch will allow wannabe-007s to lock and unlock their DBS coupe by pressing the open and close positions respectively on the watch's glass.

The wristwatch features a prominent DBS logo, as well as bezel and dial details designed to reflect the gauges of the DBS. Aston Martin says the transponder module only adds a few grams to the weight of the watch and that the electronics inside have been … Read more

It looks like Nissan drivers of the future will have another electronic nanny nudging their vehicles toward safer driving. Nissan has recently demonstrated to Reuters a brake-resistance device that would attempt to keep drivers from changing lanes if another vehicle is detected in the motorist's blind spot.

Blind spot and lane departure warning systems aren't new--many vehicles we've tested include lights that illuminate or warning beeps to notify the driver of danger. The Audi A8 L W12, tested earlier in the month, vibrated the steering wheel if you drifted out of your lane without intentionally signaling. Nissan'… Read more

Due to the almost silent operation of hybrid and electric vehicles running on electric power at slow speeds, blind and partially sighted pedestrians may be at risk while crossing roads or walking through parking lots since they cannot hear the vehicles as they approach.

Lotus Engineering, a name most commonly associated with lightweight sports cars, has announced that it has developed a system to synthesize external sound on electric and hybrid vehicles to make them more audible to pedestrians and cyclists. A simulation of a real engine sound is used on Lotus' Safe & Sound Hybrid technology demonstrator vehicle, making … Read more

Car interiors and car seats are becoming less toxic, although "new car smell" continues to carry poisons linked to allergies and cancer, according to a report last week by the Ecology Center.

The Ann Arbor, Mich., group found that General Motors made the most progress in reducing potentially harmful materials, followed by Mazda and Nissan, since the nonprofit's initial Healthy Car report last year.

The ingredients in question include lead, chlorine, and phthalates from plastics, as well as brominated flame retardants from cushions and padding.

The car with the best marks was the Acura RDX SH sport-utility … Read more

Needless to say, automobile accidents aren't pleasurable experience. Often, the ordeal devolves into finger-pointing, pitting one person's word against another. By providing in-car video evidence, Voyager hopes to help drivers deal with the situation.

The just released Voyager Pro car camera with GPS logger packs an accelerometer that can detect fender benders and triggers a video recording of the 10 seconds leading up to and 20 seconds following an accident. The video is then stored on a removable 1GB SD card.

Additionally, the product lets drivers pinpoint the location of the accident by logging the GPS coordinates for … Read more

GreenRoad Technologies announced it has received $3 million in series C funding from Amadeus Capital Partners, Virgin Green Fund, Benchmark Capital, and Balderton Capital on Monday.

The company's main product, the GreenRoad Safety Center, might be called a digital backseat driver. It features on-board sensors tracking some 120 moves made by the driver. Paired with Web applications, a dashboard display offers real-time suggestions about how to steer the car more safely.

GreenRoad claims that clients have found a 54 percent reduction in crashes and a 7 percent drop in fuel costs.

The company says its product is being picked … Read more

When we took delivery of the 2008 Volvo S80, we immediately opened the boxes, pulled the various panels out, and tried to match up the bag of fasteners with the pictures in the assembly directions. Actually, new Volvos look nothing like flat-pack IKEA furniture, trading in their traditional boxy appearance for a modern, refined look. But safety remains paramount for Volvo, as evidenced by the large areas of glass around the cabin, affording an unobstructed view of the road.

Safety also makes its way into some innovative tech that we've been dying to test. Along with the BLIS blind-spot … Read more

One feature we look for in every car we review at CNET Car Tech is Bluetooth hands-free cell phone integration. In addition, we've looked at a number of car stereos with Bluetooth and other in-car hands-free devices. The need for hands-free cell phone integration has just become much more important for millions of drivers in California and Washington, as new laws make it illegal to hold a phone and talk while driving. There is some question as to whether merely talking on a phone or holding up to your ear is the most important distraction. Personally, I want all … Read more