HONDA says its new Legend executive car is its safest yet. The £31,995 model - less expensive than the car it replaces - boasts 'smart' airbag technology using a dual inflator, two-stage deployment for both passenger and driver and side airbags designed to maximise safety of the front passengers during low to medium speed impacts.

At such speeds, the inflators are activated one after the other for slower inflation and reduced impact force between the airbag and the occupant. In more severe impacts, both are activated simultaneously for quick inflation of the bag.

Honda's 'smart' technology also extends to the side airbag. Because of the limited impact distance, side airbags are required to deploy rapidly - and the latest safety innovation is a passenger position-sensing device.

Six sensors in the seat back determine the size of the passenger, while a head sensor determines whether the passenger's head is in the path of the airbag, cutting off operation if unnecessary. A child asleep in the seat with its head leaning to the side is thus protected from possible head or neck injuries if the airbag was activated.

Story date: Wednesday 19 May

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.