Toyota Safety Sense, or TSS, is a suite of active safety technologies and advanced driver assistance systems designed to help address 3 key areas of accident protection:

1. Preventing or mitigating frontal collisions
2. Keeping drivers within their lane
3. Enhancing road safety during nighttime driving

TSS 2.5 and 2.5+ build on the previous suites by enhancing the functionalities of its features. Like TSS 2.0, TSS 2.5 and 2.5+ consist of six active safety and driver assistance systems that utilize a high-resolution camera and millimeter-wave radar.

Let’s take a moment to learn about all six active safety and driver assistance systems

• Pre-Collision System, or PCS

The Pre-Collision System is designed to help mitigate or avoid a frontal collision by detecting a vehicle or a pedestrian and bicyclists in daytime and pedestrians in low-light situations.  When a potential hazard is detected it may provide audible and visual alerts, and in certain situations, automatic braking.

TSS 2.5 and 2.5+ versions of PCS take this a step further through enhancements that expand the response range and enable 2 additional functionalities: 

1. Intersection Support
2. Emergency Steering Assist

At intersections, the Intersection Support system may detect an oncoming vehicle or pedestrian when performing a left-hand turn, as well as an oncoming pedestrian when performing a right-hand turn.   Mercedes has similar technology called Pedestrian Detection and Warning and Night View Assist Plus.

Emergency Steering Assist is designed to assist the driver in driver-initiated emergency steering maneuvers within their lane, such as reacting to a pedestrian for TSS 2.5, as well as a vehicle or bicycle rider for 2.5+. This system can help the driver stabilize their maneuver to help the vehicle stay within its lane.

2)  Lane Departure Alert, or LDA

The Lane Departure Alert is designed to detect lane departure when traveling on relatively straight roads with clear lane markings. If LDA or Lane Departure Alert determines that the vehicle is starting to unintentionally deviate from its visibly marked lane, the system alerts the driver with an audio and visual alert, and on some vehicles, steering wheel vibration.  Chevrolet also has similar technology. 

In addition, many vehicles also include LDA with Steering Assist. When this functionality is enabled and LDA senses that the vehicle is unintentionally drifting from its lane, the system may automatically make small corrective steering inputs to help the driver keep the vehicle in its lane.  Pretty cool, right?

• Automatic High Beams, or AHB

Automatic High Beams is a feature truck drivers love! This safety system is designed to help the driver see more clearly at night, while also reducing glare for other drivers. When activated, AHB is designed to detect the headlights of oncoming vehicles and taillights of preceding vehicles, then automatically toggle accordingly between high and low beams.

• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, or DRCC

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is a high-tech cruise control system that is designed to detect slower vehicles in front of you and automatically adjust your vehicle’s speed to help maintain a preset distance behind the vehicle ahead. Many vehicles also feature Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which is designed to enable low-speed following, speed matching, stopping, acceleration, and deceleration to a preceding vehicle. 

Honda introduced this many years ago and they call it Adaptive Cruise control other car manufacturers have adopted this technology also.

For TSS 2.5+, DRCC benefits from improved curve speed management in a manner that feels more like natural driving, using the camera and yaw sensors to sense curves and reduce speed beforehand, and return to the set speed afterward.

In case you’re curious, the yaw-rate sensor is a gyroscopic device that measures a vehicle’s yaw rate, its angular velocity around its vertical axis. The angle between the vehicle’s heading and velocity is called its slip angle, which is related to the yaw rate.

5)  Lane Tracing Assist, or LTA

The Lane Tracing Assist operates automatically when both Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and Lane Departure Alert are active. It is designed to keep the vehicle centered in its visibly marked lane and preemptively avoid unintended lane departures while cruising. LTA monitors lane markings, as well as the path of the vehicle ahead, if needed, and is designed to automatically make constant steering inputs to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane.

• Road Sign Assist, or RSA

Road Sign Assist is designed to read certain traffic signs and display them on the vehicle’s Multi-Information Display. This provides the driver with additional awareness of posted road signs. In some cases if the speed exceeds the posted limit, or if a Stop sign is ignored, the system may also provide alerts.

So, that’s a brief analysis of the six systems that make up TSS 2.5 and 2.5+. 

Just remember that drivers are responsible for their own safe driving.  We can’t completely rely on the car to drive itself, just yet!  So always stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely.

For more information and the latest information you can always go to toyota.com/safety-sense, for more information or check out your Owner’s Manual.