Honda will start offering a drive recorder as a dealer option. Honda is the first automobile manufacturer that ever sells drive recorders, which have only been available from auto supply manufacturers. Not a few auto manufacturers hesitate to commercialize their own drive recorders. That is because they must guarantee that the recorded video is “genuine,” if their drive recorders are used to record how an accident took place. It is also awkward for automobile manufacturers to sell products that are designed to be used after an accident. As a result, Honda commercialized the drive recorder primarily not for “recording how an accident occurred” but for “preventive safety, which might be enhanced if drivers maintain safe driving while being conscious that a device is continuously recording their driving” said a company spokesman.
The Honda drive recorder uses flash memory and a 512-Mb SD memory card with thermo resistance optimized for automobile applications. Storing video in flash memory first, the drive recorder then transmits the part before and after an accident is triggered to the SD memory card. Video can also be recorded onto a standard SD memory card in addition to SD memory cards tailored for automobile applications.
The drive recorder uses flash memory and a 512-Mbyte SD memory card, which both had thermo resistance optimized for automobile applications. Storing video in flash memory first, the drive recorder transmits the part before and after a trigger is sensed to an SD memory card. The Honda driver recorder will be available in Japan for approximately ¥49,350 (US$436).