When one thinks of vehicle safety, they’ll often think about car marques such as Volvo. Nowadays, safety is a top priority for all modern vehicle manufacturers. Today’s cars feature a whole host of technology designed to make our lives on the road better.
One vehicle, in particular, is perhaps the safest car that you could ever own. No, it’s not a Volvo. It might shock you to learn that the new Toyota Yaris is a class leader when it comes to vehicle safety. So, what safety features can one expect by owning the model? Here’s the lowdown on what is available for this vehicle:
Pre-Collision System
Part of the Toyota “Safety Sense” package is the pre-collision system. In a nutshell, it uses a laser and camera to detect other vehicles up ahead. If the system feels there’s a possibility of a collision, the driver gets alerted.
Audio and visual warnings get presented, and the brake assistance system gets activated. Should the driver delay in performing an emergency stop, the car does it automatically.
During a test drive of the Yaris from Inchcape Toyota last week, I got invited to test the system. Of course, I should point out the test got conducted off the road! The pre-collision system is useful, and I can see it becoming standard in almost any car in the future.
Lane Departure Alert
We’ve all been there. We drive on the road and perhaps lose focus for just a moment, veering into another lane. Another useful example of safety technology in the new Yaris is the Lane Departure Alert.
If you veer out of your lane without indicating, it will alert you with audible and visual warnings. I can see this being a useful feature when driving on long stretches of road such as motorways, for example.
Automatic High Beam
I don’t know about you, but I hate driving at night! Perhaps it’s just because I’m getting old? The thing is; there are more motorists on the road than say ten years ago. That means more people fighting for the same roads you also travel on.
When it becomes dark outside, driving conditions can become hazardous even on clear nights. The Automatic High Beam is an amazing example of safety technology that features in the new Yaris!
Let’s say you’re driving down a country lane and there are no street lights. The Automatic High Beam will turn on when visibility is poor. A camera on the car detects if any oncoming vehicles are approaching. And should that be the case, the lights switch back to low-beam.
Road Sign Assist
It still shocks me to learn that many drivers fail to spot road signs on their travels. In particular, the ones that warn them about lower speed limits or overtaking restrictions! As you can imagine, some have accidents because they didn’t see road signs on their journey.
Toyota’s Road Sign Assist keeps an eye out for road signs up ahead. It can then capture and display that information on the TFT cockpit display. The system also gives drivers warnings if you don’t follow the traffic instructions.
If you’re a follower of car safety technology, I recommend getting behind the wheel of a Yaris today!
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