Honda has just launched a national advertising campaign for its new Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, which uses the phrase "Happy Braking" beside a picture of a road-side speed camera.

IMA is to be fitted to its award-winning Civic four-door saloon, recently named as Britain's most reliable car.

The company claims that drivers can harness the energy used in braking for speed cameras to boost their acceleration once they have passed the "obstacle".

Break the law

A spokesman for Honda said: "We are not encouraging people to speed.

"We are simply acknowledging the fact that people do."

Though the campaign is only days old, a number of complaints have already been received by the Advertising Standards Authority in London.

Under ASA guidelines, car manufacturers are forbidden from making speed the main focus of a campaign.

In addition, the ASA code of practice states: "Advertisers should not portray speed in a way that might encourage motorists to drive irresponsibly or to break the law."

Linda Morrison Allsopp, road safety project manager for Rospa (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), said: "Anyone who has lost a family member or a friend through speeding will be very distressed by this form of advertising.

The picture of the road-side camera has been used in a tongue-in-cheek way to demonstrate that people do brake for things like speed cameras. A Honda spokesman

"The idea that motorists should in some way be assisted in speeding up after passing a safety camera is extremely irresponsible.

"Safety cameras can only be installed in places where there is a known casualty risk. On that basis, they should be treated with respect."

A spokesman for Honda explained how its new IMA system works.

He said: "It allows energy used under braking conditions to be re-used and deployed when accelerating away.

"The crux of the matter is that obstacles placed in the way of drivers cause drivers to brake, resulting in a waste of energy.

"But in our car, you can recover some of that energy so that it can be re-used.

Routinely speeding

"The picture of the road-side camera has been used in a tongue-in-cheek way to demonstrate that people do brake for things like speed cameras."

The claim coincides with Scotland's Foolspeed campaign, which was only re-launched on Thursday.

The Scottish Executive is committed to reducing fatal and serious road casualties by 40% by 2010, spurred by the discovery that one in three accidents is caused by speed.

In a recent survey for the executive, it was discovered that one in three Scots drivers admits to routinely speeding on motorways and wide roads.

A spokeswoman for the executive said: "Safety cameras improve road safety by making drivers slow down at dangerous locations, reducing accidents and casualties.

"Cutting the number of people who die on Scotland's roads each year is a key priority for the Scottish Executive.