Japanese manufacturer Honda revealed today that it plans to start selling its new traffic safety Bicycle Simulator in Japan as early as February 2010, with orders accepted from this November. Honda targets customers such as public offices, law-enforcement organizations, driving schools and educational institutions which conduct bicycle safety education programs primarily for school children and senior citizens.
“By safely experiencing the possible risks bicycle riders may face, users will improve their ability to predict risks and increase safety awareness. In addition, rider evaluation session which will follow the riding simulation will help users learn traffic rules and manners in an enjoyable way,” a company statement reads.
The decision to market such a product came after results showed the fatalities in accidents involving bicycles has increased in Japan in recent years. Bicycle riders aged 10 - 19 and above the age of 50 have the highest chance to get involved in an accident, and approximately 70 percent of bicycle accidents caused by violation of traffic rules.
Key features of the Honda Bicycle Simulator are listed below:
- Compact design (length 2,270mm × height 1,400mm × width 990mm, weight 88kg)
- Equipped with monitors to check right/left and behind.
- Equipped with a "walking sensor" which recognizes the user's action of walking the bicycle.
- Contains different courses such as "going to school," "going to the grocery store," "going to cram school" and "going to a local shopping street" to offer realistic experiences for user groups of different ages.
- Contains a course for the user to learn traffic laws and manners to ride a bicycle in mixed traffic.
- After the simulation, the rider's path can be reviewed from multiple vantage points -above/below and right/left- and the riding situation and evaluation will be displayed on the monitor.
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