The Importance of Vehicle Safety Features: A Guide for Car Buyers

When it comes to buying a new vehicle, being equipped with reliable safety features that go beyond airbags shouldn’t be a luxury unattainable to everyday buyers. Even the most seasoned drivers need their vehicle attuned to the potential dangers on the road their cruising on. And while many automakers prefer to offer safety technology upgrades at additional costs, Toyota sees things a little differently. Available standard across all models, Toyota Safety Sense is just the safety system that can support your awareness on the streets of Whitehorse and keep you, your passengers, and everyone else on the road as safe as possible. Let’s explore the importance of vehicle safety features and discuss some of the features that come standard as a part of Toyota Safety Sense.

What is Toyota Safety Sense™?

The Toyota Safety Sense system first became available in 2015 with such features as Toyota Safety Sense™ C (TSS-C) and Toyota Safety Sense™ P (TSS-P). The current system is the Toyota Safety Sense™ 3.0 (TSS 3.0). This suite of safety features uses a combination of cameras, radar, and lasers mounted in a vehicle’s windshield, front grille, and bumpers to monitor other vehicles, objects, and pedestrians on the road. 

In addition, Toyota Safety Sense makes use of audible and visual alerts to indicate that the driver needs to take action to avoid a collision. If the driver doesn’t respond – or is unable to answer – some systems will step in and either apply the brakes or move the vehicle to prevent a collision.

Key Toyota Safety Sense Features

Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection

Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD) * is designed to help detect a vehicle or pedestrian and provide an audio/visual forward-collision warning under certain circumstances. If you don’t react, the system is designed to provide automatic emergency braking. Depending on the system, a bicyclist or motorcyclist may also be detected in certain circumstances. 

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

Intended for highway use, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) * * is an adaptive cruise control system that uses vehicle-to-vehicle distance control to help maintain a preset distance from the vehicle ahead of you.

Lane Departure Alert

When white/yellow lane markings are detected at speeds within the system's operating range, Lane Departure Alert (LDA) * is designed to issue an audio/visual lane departure warning if an inadvertent lane departure is detected.

Automatic High Beams

Automatic High Beams (AHB) * are designed to help you see more clearly at night at speeds above 21 mph. The AHB system is designed to detect the headlights of oncoming vehicles and taillights of preceding vehicles, then automatically toggle between high and low beams accordingly.

Lane Tracing Assist

When Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) * is enabled and lane markers are visible, Lane Tracing Assist (LTA) * * uses the lines on the road and/or preceding vehicles to provide active driving assistance and help keep the vehicle centred and in its lane.

Road Sign Assist

Using an intelligent camera, Road Sign Assist (RSA) * * is designed to detect speed limit signs, stop signs, Do Not Enter signs and yield signs, and display an icon of the sign on the Multi-Information Display (MID).

Proactive Driving Assist

When system operating conditions are met, using the vehicle’s camera and radar, Proactive Driving Assist (PDA) * provides gentle braking into curves or gentle braking and/or steering to help support driving tasks, such as distance control between your vehicle and a preceding vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist.

Put Safety First With Whitehorse Toyota

Toyota’s reputation for being one of the safest vehicles in the market is mainly due to its technological advancements in driver and car protection. With its patented Safety Sense™ on all its modern vehicles, Toyota owners can rest easy knowing that their car prioritizes road safety as much as they do.

Get safe Toyota cars from Whitehorse Toyota today! We’re a progressive and wholly authorized dealer of full-service Toyota vehicles and a genuine Toyota parts retailer. Check out our online listings or stop by our lot anytime to learn more about Toyota Safety Sense!