Honda’s new front passenger airbag tech earns safety excellence award

Car brands put a lot of effort into designing and manufacturing the best possible vehicle. Aside from the exterior and interior aesthetics, automotive engineers and designers take serious thought on how to keep the vehicle’s occupants safe in the event of an accident.

Honda's new front passenger airbag technology aims to further protect occupants

Honda is among the car brands that value vehicle occupant safety. A testament to that is the recent recognition of its new front passenger airbag technology, which earned a safety excellence award from the United States Department of Transportation.

Honda safety engineer Eric Heitkamp is the brains behind the Japanese automaker’s new front passenger airbag tech. Heitkamp’s design is meant to further protect the front passenger in the event of a crash. Honda said that its new airbag tech is meant to decrease the chance of serious brain injury.  

The Japanese automaker proudly shared that Heitkamp’s groundbreaking front passenger airbag design received the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. As such, Heitkamp’s work earned the U.S. Government Award for Safety Engineering Excellence. The said recognition was given at the 2023 Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) conference in Yokohama, Japan. 

Honda safety engineer Eric Heitkamp

Honda explained that its new front passenger airbag tech can better manage lateral collision forces that can cause an occupant’s head to rotate severely at high velocity. The automaker added that the occupant’s head may slide off in a conventional airbag, increasing the chance of serious injury. 

Heitkamp utilized the available data in measuring brain injuries in vehicle collisions. His research included important information taken from a study conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) entitled Development of Brain Injury Criteria.

Honda's new front passenger airbag being tested

Compared to a conventional airbag, Honda said that its new front passenger airbag is designed like a baseball catcher’s mitt or gloves. It has an uninflated panel that catches and decelerates the occupant’s head with lesser force. 

Then, the head is directed inward between two inflated chambers (left and right) to cradle and protect the head. That said, Honda’s new front passenger airbag tech functions like a baseball glove.

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Honda further explained that its new front passenger airbag uses four major components: three inflated compartments consisting of a center chamber, and two outward-projecting side chambers that create a wide base across the dash as well as an uninflated “sail panel" that stretches between the two side chambers. 

Of note, the U.S. Government Awards for Safety Engineering Excellence gives recognition to individuals who have made scientific contributions in the field of motor vehicle safety engineering.

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