Toyota’s Next Generation Safety Sense Sees What You Don’t
Automated, self-driving cars may sound like a scary thing. But the technology used by them is being harnessed by Toyota Safety Sense to keep drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists safe.
by Kimberly Phipps
Upgrade, please!
It’s always fun to get an upgrade. Whether it’s getting bumped up to first class on an airline, or trading in your scratchy phone for a newer and shinier one, version 2.0 is always better than the one you have. Toyota Safety Sense, a set of features which uses electronic technology to prevent automobile accidents, unveiled its own upgrade during the LA Auto Show.
By the end of 2017, Toyota Safety Sense and Lexus Safety Sense (TSS and LSS+) will be standard on almost every model in the Toyota and Lexus lineups. Bringing this high-tech, advanced safety technology to the masses will go a long way in preventing injuries by avoiding collisions of all kinds.
So what’s new, and what can version 2.0 do for you? The second generation of TSS has been expanded to help improve driver situational awareness while providing additional protections for a pedestrian or bicyclist in front of the vehicle.
Got some crazy pedestrians in your neighborhood? The Pre-Collision System adds the ability to help detect a collision with a pedestrian or a bicycle, and slows down automatically.
Tend to drift out of your lane when changing the radio? Lane Departure Alert is enhanced with road edge detection to increase the vehicle’s ability to help drivers stay in their lane.
Oops, was that a yield sign? Road Sign Assist is designed to display road sign information in an easy-to-understand format on the dashboard meter display, using the vehicle’s onboard camera to detect and recognize certain common road signs.
Hate having to slow down your cruise control when other cars aren’t going the same speed? Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control automatically adjust your speed for you. Lane Tracing Assist provides steering support to help the driver keep the vehicle centered in its lane when Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is in operation.