What is Toyota Safety Sense?
Toyota Safety Sense™ (TSS) is a suite of technological safety features and advanced driver assistance systems that come standard on all Toyota models. These features are engineered to help protect the driver and passengers by focusing on three key areas:
- Preventing or lessening the damage of frontal collisions
- Keeping drivers in their lane
- Enhancing road safety during nighttime driving
Several newer versions of TSS are available in Toyota vehicles now, including TSS 2.0, 2.5 and 2.5+. Let’s take a look at their features.
Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
The previous version of the pre-collision system used an integrated camera and radar system that detects objects or people in your path – but the new systems do so much more than that.
TSS 2.0 added enhanced pedestrian detection at night and bicycle detection during the day. TSS 2.5 and 2.5+ can sense oncoming vehicles or pedestrians when you make a left-hand turn in an intersection and pedestrians when you make a right-hand turn. They can also stabilize the vehicle if you swerve to avoid a pedestrian or car.
If the pre-collision system is triggered and the driver applies the brakes, the car might use brake assist to get the car to stop fast enough to prevent an accident. If the driver doesn't apply the brakes and the vehicle senses an impending crash, the system is designed to kick in to apply the brakes for you. Of course, this system is an emergency backup and isn't a replacement for emergency braking.
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
The days of setting and resuming your cruise control to adjust for fellow drivers on the road are over. TSS uses radar and a camera in unison to adjust the speed of your vehicle and keep it at a predetermined distance from the next car in front of you. It adjusts when a new car enters the lane. If the car in front of you is going slower than your preset speed, your vehicle will automatically slow down without undoing cruise control settings or turning it off. TSS 2.5+ takes this to the next level with curve speed management, which senses curves and dynamically reduces the speed.
Lane Departure Alert and Steering Assist
Even the best drivers make mistakes, especially when they're spending a lot of time on the road. That's why the Toyota TSS system added an audio and visual warning alarm that will tell you when you need to get back in your lane. The radar and camera can detect the side of the road, the shoulder size, and where your lane ends and begins. The car will make small steering corrections to direct your vehicle back to safety.
Automatic High Beams
A built-in camera on the windshield makes nighttime driving safer by detecting the lights on the other vehicles and switching back and forth between high and low beams. This feature prevents other drivers from being blinded by high beams and results in the most well-lit roadways possible.
Lane Tracing Assist
When the cruise control is in use, with other cars on the road and lane markers visible, the camera and radar can display lanes and keep you centered. When lane markers aren't visible, the system follows the path of the vehicle in front of you while also taking measurements of the road and its shoulders.
Road Sign Assist
When you miss traffic signs, it can put you in dangerous situations. Road Sign Assist is designed to read the most common road signs, like "Stop," "Yield," "Do Not Enter," or "Speed Limit," and display it on the screen so the driver can have the information when they need it. This feature keeps you from consulting with your GPS or phone to figure out what the speed limit is where you're driving or which direction to go on a one-way street.
Toyota has a great lineup of Total Safety Sense features that continue to improve every year. TSS helps Toyota hit its target of preventing accidents, keeping drivers in their lanes, and making nighttime driving easier and safer.