14 DAY TRIAL // Toyota Motor Corporatio has recently developed a new version of its Pre-crash Safety System that provides early warning of an imminent collision when it detects the driver is likely not looking straight ahead.
This new feature comes as a response to data that suggests that most vehicle accidents are caused by lack of driver awareness The system is a world's first, according to Toyota officials, and will be offered on a Lexus-brand vehicle due to debut in Japan in the spring of 2006.
While Toyota's Pre-crash Safety System until now has centered on the detection of other vehicles and obstacles on the road ahead, the newly enhanced system takes into consideration, for the first time, the state of the driver. Using a camera mounted on the steering column and an image-processing computer, the system detects the orientation of the driver's face. If the system reads that the driver is not facing forward when it determines that the probability of a collision is high, it will warn the driver sooner than when the driver is facing forward, aiming to lessen collision injuries.
In an attempt to contribute to the complete elimination of traffic casualties, Toyota intends to strengthen its wide-ranging traffic safety initiatives by developing safer vehicles that feature the Toyota GOA passive safety body, the Pre-crash Safety System and various control technologies such as VDIM.
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