Every car owner knows the balance of luxury, safety features, cost, and amenities. Whether you are vehicle shopping for a used or new car, you will want to know which cars have features that can keep you and your investment safe. Toyota Safety Sense leads the pack.
The system is designed around the simple premise of helping the driver avoid accidents. They accomplish this by automating certain actions, providing new warning signals, and making other information easier to read. The combined impact is to help the driver avoid some of the most frequent causes of collisions.
Features Included in Toyota Safety Sense
The system works by incorporating a number of safety features to work together as a single operation. Toyota was one of the first to create such a holistic approach to vehicle features, and they continue to add and update highlights. Below is a list of some of the most critical tools included to keep everyone secure.
Pre-Collision System
Toyota Pre-Collision System uses a variety of mounted sensors and radar to provide early warnings about potential accidents. The system calculates factors like speed, distance, and proximity to detect potential collisions the driver may not have noticed. The warnings are both auditory and visual to provide multiple channels of safety awareness. The alerts are designed to happen early enough to allow the driver extra time to brake. However, once used, the system can also assist with making the brakes more effective at stopping the vehicle.
Because most accidents are considered driver error, the collision detecting system is a great way to avoid accidents by distracted drivers. However, the system is not yet a substitute for attentive, unimpaired vehicle operation. Detection systems are also available to avoid collisions with bicycles and pedestrians.
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
Part of the cruise control system, the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control utilizes hidden, forward-facing cameras and radar to make necessary adjustments to cruising speed. The system is capable of first detecting a car in front, and then monitoring that vehicle for changes in speed or distance.
This process allows the driver during commutes or long drives to avoid having to make constant changes to the cruise control speed. Instead, they can simply set a speed and allow the car to make temporary adjustments to maintain a safe distance.
Lane Departure Alert
One of the risks of highway driving is unintentionally leaving your lane. This brings risks of collisions with oncoming cars as well as vehicles parked on the shoulder. Lane Department Alert uses sensors to monitor the car’s motion with respect to the lanes on the road. The system can be set to provide an audible warning to alert the driver to the needed action. It can also be set with a steering assist to passively steer the vehicle back into place.
In addition to mechanisms to avoid leaving the lane, the system can also be set to notice swerving inside the lane. Everything can also be set to different levels of sensitivity to avoid drastic changes with the slightest side motions.
Automatic High Beams
High beams are at once the best and worse thing to happen to nighttime drivers. On one hand, no other headlight option provides such visible clarity in otherwise dark conditions. On the other hand, high beams from other cars can completely blind other drivers. The Automatic High Beams system is designed to detect oncoming headlights. Once these are detected, the system lowers the headlights to avoid blinding the other driver. After the other headlights pass, the high beams are reengaged.
This system allows the driver the benefit of high-beam illumination without constantly needing to switch the headlights every time a car passes.
Lane Tracing Assist
Part of the cruise control system Lane Tracing Assist uses lane markers and other cars to help the driver stay in the right lane. When used in conjunction with the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, the two functions can help you stay in the right lane at a safe speed with minimal adjustments. That can be incredibly helpful for heavy traffic or typical commutes. The system includes a steering assist to passively keep you between the lines.
Road Sign Assist
Just as the name sounds, Road Sign Assist uses cameras designed to detect any road signs alongside or above the road. These signs are then placed in the windshield digital Heads Up Display (HUD). This is a powerful tool to help drivers who are so focused on traffic that they don’t have time to look around and read every sign they encounter.
Other Questions People Also Ask
Which Toyota Vehicles Include Safety Sense?
Nearly every 2020 or 2021 model comes with Toyota Safety Sense standard. However, models may come with different features included as part of the package. For example, some vehicles do not include Bicycle Detection within the Pre-Collision System.
Does Toyota Safety Sense Include Blind Spot Monitoring?
Blind spot monitoring is not included as part of the Safety Sense standard package. However many Toyota vehicles have Blind Spot monitoring available.
Does Safety Sense Take Control of My Car While I am Driving?
Steering assist is an available option with many of the safety features, however, it is possible to temporarily deactivate the steering assist and rely solely on the auditory warning. Features like the Lane Departure Alert also allow you to set the sensor sensitivity so the steering assist will only take control in extreme deviations.
The Conclusion
Toyota Safety Sense is a great package of features to help you avoid the most common reasons for accidents. Even beyond that, these features can give you a more pleasant drive by helping you to avoid the small calculations and changes that can become tiring over time.
