Toyota car safety: monitoring systems

Toyota develops its vehicles and technology under the umbrella of an ‘Integrated Safety Management Concept’, one part of a three-pronged approach which involves continual improvement in vehicle safety as well as initiatives to improve driver and pedestrian awareness and to create a safe traffic environment.

Toyota’s eventual aim is to realise a society where traffic accidents are a thing of the past, which is why decades of research into safety technologies have resulted in Toyota cars receiving consistently high results in Euro NCAP crash safety tests, with the Prius,  Yaris, Auris, Verso, Avensis and RAV4 achieving the maximum five-star award.

In this post, we take a look at Toyota’s various monitoring systems that keep a close eye on the surroundings when you are parking and driving:

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
Lane Departure Alert(LDA)/Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
Road Sign Assist (RSA)
Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA)/Simple Intelligent Parking Assist (SIPA)
Parking sensors
Rear-View Camera

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), included as part of the Toyota Safety Sense suite of active safety technologies, adds an extra layer of safety to conventional cruise control, the system by which a car drives at a constant speed set by the driver.

First used in 1997, Toyota added a radar-monitoring system to the cruise control system to create Adaptive Cruise Control which can alter your car’s speed based on the speed of vehicles travelling ahead.

When a slower-moving vehicle is detected, ACC automatically reduces your car’s speed (activating the brakes if necessary) to maintain a safe distance between the two vehicles. If the vehicle in front turns off or speeds up, then ACC will accelerate your car up to its previous cruising speed.

Adaptive Cruise Control is available on RAV4, new Prius, Prius + and Land Cruiser.

Lane Departure Alert (LDA)/Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Previously called Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Departure Alert (LDA) has been part of Toyota’s line up of safety technologies since 2002 and is now part of the Toyota Safety Sense suite of active safety technologies.

The system uses two cameras mounted behind the rear-view mirror to continually monitor vehicle position in relation to road lane markings. If it detects that the car is drifting out of its lane, LDA triggers an audible and visual warning for the driver to take corrective action.

As part of the Toyota Safety Sense package, Lane Departure Alert is available as standard on the new Prius, Avensis, and Verso. It’s also available as an optional extra on Aygo, Yaris, and Auris models.

Lane Keep Assist (LKA)

Lane Keep Assist (LKA) was introduced in 2004 as an extension of the Lane Departure Warning system. The LKA system activates if it detects that the driver isn’t responding to the lane departure warnings, and will actually apply corrective steering without driver input to maintain a safe course.

Lane Keep Assist is fitted to RAV4 and Land Cruiser models.

Road Sign Assist (RSA)

Road Sign Assist is one of Toyota’s newest technologies, introduced as part of the Toyota Safety Sense package of active safety systems. It works by identifying road signs such as speed limits, no overtaking warnings, and motorway signage, and displaying them on a multi-information TFT display on the dash. Additionally, RSA sounds a warning light and buzzer if the vehicle exceeds the speed limit.

Road Sign Assist is available on new Prius, Avensis and RAV4 models, as well as optionally fitted to Auris models.

Blind Spot Monitor (BSM)

Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) is one of Toyota’s latest safety monitoring systems, using radar sensors to constantly observe the area in the driver’s blind spot for the presence of other vehicles. If the turn indicator is activated, BSM warns the driver by activating an indicator in the door mirror on the appropriate side of the vehicle.

The Blind Spot Monitor system is currently available on the new Prius, revolutionary Toyota Mirai and Land Cruiser.

Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)

Using the same sensors as Blind Spot Monitor, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) system warns the driver of unseen vehicles approaching from either side that aren’t visible through the rear screen or mirrors, such as when reversing out of a parking space. If a vehicle is detected, RCTA sounds a warning and flashes the warning lights in the door mirrors.

Like Blind Spot Monitor, the RCTA system is available on the new Prius, revolutionary Toyota Mirai and Land Cruiser.

Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA)/Simple Intelligent Parking Assist (SIPA)

Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA) was introduced in 2006, greatly easing the process of both parallel and rear-to-kerb parking. In both scenarios, the driver activates the IPA system and slowly drives forward so that the system identifies the parking space by means of ultrasonic sensors. IPA then takes control of steering input, reversing the car into the parking space with the driver simply managing the vehicle speed. Watch the video above to see the latest version of the system – Simple Intelligent Parking Assist (SIPA) – in operation in the new Prius.

IPA/SIPA is available on the new Toyota Prius, Auris and Auris Touring Sports models, and Prius+.

Parking sensors

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To ease parking the vehicle, Toyota equips many models with ultrasonic parking sensors that use sound waves to detect obstacles, indicating the proximity of the obstacle by means of a beeping alarm. This system can help to prevent low-speed impacts when parking, avoiding potentially costly repairs.

New Prius, Auris, RAV4 and Land Cruiser models are fitted with parking sensors as standard, with the system optionally available on the rest of the range. Dependent on specification, sensors may be fitted to the rear or both front and rear.

Rear-View Camera

As well as parking sensors, Toyota also fits a rear-view camera to a number of models. The view from the camera is displayed on the in-dash display, overlaid with guidance lines that indicate distance. This system aids parking and prevents collisions with unseen objects behind the vehicle.

With the exception of GT86, all Toyota passenger vehicles are fitted with a rear-view camera (optional on Aygo).

To learn more about other Toyota safety technologies, see these related posts:

Braking technologies
Stability and control technologies
Occupant safety
Safety through convenience