Honda’s Driver Feedback Will Grade Driving Performance

Dystopian discounts for defensive drivers.

From the “I thought we’d have flying cars by 2020” file comes Honda’s newest safety initiative in the form of a Driver Feedback feature. According to Cars.com, the Driver Feedback feature is integrated into the HondaLink and AcuraLink apps on new vehicles.

The aim of Driver Feedback is to incentive better driving habits in the form of lowered insurance premiums. The app “grades” you in five categories: Smooth Driving, Speed Responsibility, Consistent Driving, Driving Time and Time Behind the Wheel.

If you decide to opt in, the data is then shared with your insurance company, which will offer discounts based on your score. The program is either innovative or invasive, depending on how you look at it.

The data is also sent to the driver so that they can make adjustments to their driving style in an effort to chase those discounts. While some may view this program as an Orwellian nightmare, it may actually help some Honda and Acura owners become better drivers.

Keeping Score

With that said, those of us who enjoy performance driving won’t be likely to adopt the system. Aggressive acceleration and braking, as well as sustained speeds over 80 miles per hour, will lower scores in the first two categories.

Those with long commutes will score low in the “Time Behind the Wheel” category. If you travel the same route every day, you’ll do well in the “Consistent Driving” category. If you find yourself driving early in the morning or late at night, that could negatively impact your “Driving Time” score. Insurance data reveals that accidents are more likely to occur at those times.

With all that said, the benefit of lower insurance premiums could be worth it to some. Working a “regular” shift and having a short, consistent commute could save you some money.

The technology is available on a wide selection of new Hondas and Acuras (with the appropriate tech options). Existing owners of vehicles with HondaLink and AcuraLink can enroll as well. If you’ve got a 2018 up Accord Touring or Odyssey in the Touring or Elite trim, it’s game on. It’s also available on the 2019 Insight Touring and Passport Touring or Elite. 2019 Pilot Touring, Elite, and Black Edition owners can also take advantage of the program.

Photos: Honda

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.
When he's not busy working on his Harley-Davidson bike, the vastly experienced writer has covered an array of features, reviews, how-tos, op-eds and news stories for Internet Brands' Auto Group and is also a co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast Cammed & Tubbed.

Check him out on Instagram at: Camvanderhorst.

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