In Pursuit of Zero Casualties from Traffic Accidents

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While bold styling and fun-to-drive performance are the first things that come to mind when shopping for a new vehicle, these are emotional qualities – and, as such, are open to individual interpretation. Yet underneath all of the sculpted bodywork and finely tuned powertrain lies an even deeper commitment to motoring.

Toyota is striving toward a future where there are zero casualties from traffic accidents. How do we get there? With the swift and steady implementation of standard safety technologies across the lineup. We call this “democratizing safety” – because we believe no matter the destination, everyone deserves to arrive safely.

Achieving a safer mobile world is one of our most important objectives, and Toyota is committed to leading the industry in safety performance. We do this in two ways. First, we are rapidly and continuously developing new safety technologies, and improving on existing ones to cover more and more products in the Toyota lineup.

An example of this is Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which will be built into most Toyota vehicles starting this year. As the “2.0” implies, this is the second generation of Toyota Safety Sense (TSS), which we introduced in 2016. TSS and TSS 2.0 join other leading safety technologies from Toyota – including the Star Safety System – to help drivers avoid accidents.

Second, we introduce these safety features as broadly as possible and as quickly as possible across our model line-up. Less than two years after we announced it, TSS is now included as standard equipment on 95 per cent of all new Toyota vehicles.

And we are debuting TSS 2.0 starting with two important models: the all-new 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback and the all-new 2019 Toyota RAV4. Our commitment to safety drives the development of advanced technologies, such as TSS 2.0 – yet we focus on all aspects of vehicle design and manufacturing.

For example, materials, science and cabin design play an important role in protecting occupants when a crash occurs. We’re proud that many of our vehicles are safety award winners. Last year, the 2018 Toyota Camry earned the highest award – the Top Safety Pick+ – from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Eight other Toyota-built models received 2018 IIHS Top Safety Pick ratings. As new safety technologies are introduced to Canadian roads, they have the potential to dramatically reduce accidents.

At the same time, drivers need to understand how the systems work as well as their limitations. That’s why Toyota works closely with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) to reduce traffic related deaths and injuries, and to educate Canadian drivers about road and vehicle safety.

As an example, Toyota provided funding for TIRF’s national education program, “Brain on Board”, to make it easier for Canadians to learn about vehicle safety features. Toyota will continue to develop and introduce new safety technologies at a rapid pace. Currently, more than 1.3 million lives are lost around the world each year in traffic accidents. Our global vision is to change that. And I’m confident that with these rapidly evolving safety technologies we’re on track to achieving our goal.

TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE is a bundle of advanced safety technologies, included as standard equipment on 95% of new Toyota vehicles sold in Canada today. Here’s what it does:

• PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM (PCS) monitors the road ahead and alerts the driver to possible collision situations. It provides additional braking force and in some cases, will automatically apply the brakes. On some current Toyota models, this system also detects pedestrians.
• LANE DEPARTURE ALERT (LDA) alerts the driver if the vehicle is unintentionally drifting from its lane. On some current Toyota models, the system will also make minor steering adjustments to help maintain position.
• AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAMS (AHB) detects vehicles on the road ahead and automatically switches to low beam. Once no vehicles are detected, it switches back to high beam to enhance visibility at night.
• DYNAMIC RADAR CRUISE CONTROL (DRCC)* enhances standard cruise control by detecting vehicles ahead and adjusting the set vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance. This system works on all models at highway speeds. On select models, it also operates at slower speeds.

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TSS 2.0 – being introduced to vehicles, such as the all-new 2019 RAV4 and 2019 Corolla Hatchback this year – enhances this safety bundle with the following features:

• LANE TRACING ASSIST (LTA) Lane Tracing Assist is a new system that helps keep the vehicle centred in its lane when DRCC is in operation.
• PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM WITH PEDESTRIAN DETECTION (PCS W/PD) also adds the ability to help detect bicycles in the daytime in addition to Pedestrian Detection under low light.
• LANE DEPARTURE ALERT WITH STEERING ASSIST (LDA W/SA) also has the ability to help detect the edge of roads.
• FULL-SPEED DYNAMIC RADAR CRUISE CONTROL (DRCC)* operates at all speed ranges on all models (except those with manual transmissions). 

DISCLAIMERS: Drivers should always be responsible for their own safe driving. Please always pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely. Depending on the conditions of roads, vehicles, weather, etc., the TSS systems may not work as intended. Please see toyota.ca for details. *Available on most new Toyota vehicles.

Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.