Stay Safe this Winter with the Latest Features from Toyota

Winter weather poses additional risks to drivers. Reduced visibility and traction can create dangerous conditions. If you live somewhere that experiences ice, snow, and freezing rain, the risks are even greater. It’s important to practice additional safety, keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance, and stay alert all year long, but even more so during the winter. However, Toyota models offer an entire suite of driver assistance features, collision-resistant vehicle construction, and technologies that increase traction in adverse conditions. The Heritage Toyota Catonsville, Harrisburg & Owings Mills team is here to break down some of the best safety features from Toyota to protect you and your family when the roads get slippery this winter.

Premium Traction Technology

Slippery winter road conditions require extra care while driving, but Toyota models feature intelligent technology features to make it easier to navigate situations with reduced traction. Toyota’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive is available on the Camry, Highlander, RAV4, and Venza. This advanced system can send power to the wheels with the most traction. Standard features like 4-wheel ABS, electronic brake distribution, brake assist, and hill start assist all offer support without being invasive. The tire pressure monitoring system will alert you if one of your tires has low pressure, which can affect braking, handling, and traction. Traction control utilizes the sensors and systems already equipped in the vehicle to reduce understeer or oversteer, both of which can result in an accident. All of these features are so responsive that drivers don’t even notice how much they contribute to the smooth handling and drive of Toyota models.

Active Safety Features

For 2021, Toyota Safety Sense builds on previous generations with six new safety features designed to prevent the three most common types of accidents: frontal collision, unintentional lane departure, and driving in the dark.

• Pre-Collision System (PCS)² – Using a radar system and camera mounted at the front of the vehicle, this system can detect potential frontal collisions with vehicles, pedestrians, or bicycles and notify the driver, or automatically apply the brakes to minimize impact or prevent the collision.⁹
• Lane Departure Alert (LDA⁾³ – By monitoring the markings, curbs, and road edges using the forward-facing camera, the Lane Departure Alert can notify you when you deviate from your lane. On vehicles equipped with Electronic Power Steering, it can even make steering adjustments when needed.
• Automatic High Beams (AHB)⁴ – Never blind oncoming drivers again. Automatic High Beams sense headlights from oncoming and preceding vehicles and switch between high and low beams when necessary.
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC)⁵ – This system uses the same camera and radar system in the Pre-Collision System to maintain a pre-set distance between you and the car in front of you by automatically adjusting speed.
• Road Sign Assistance (RSA)⁶ – If you’ve ever found yourself asking what the speed limit is, this system is essential. It can read Speed Limit, Stop, Yield, and Do Not Enter signs, and display them on your Multi-Information Display.
• Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)⁷ – Similar to Lane Departure Alert, this feature works with the vehicle's Dynamic Radar Cruise Control to keep you in your lane. When it senses that you’ve strayed from your lane, it may apply corrective steering input.

Passive Safety Features

In addition to the driver assistance features available on most Toyota models, these passive safety features are quietly working behind the scenes and keeping you and your passengers safe. These features also inspire driving confidence that can help you tackle a variety of road conditions.

• Vehicle Stability Control – In instances of strong oversteer or understeer while cornering, the Vehicle Stability Control system helps to regain and maintain predictability.
• Traction Control – This feature keeps your drive wheels planted in the event of excessive throttle input on surfaces like ice, mud, and wet roads.
• Anti-Lock Brakes – ABS is a system that keeps your wheels from locking up when brakes are applied heavily, making sure your vehicle comes to a stop when you need it to.
• Electronic Brake Distribution – Working in conjunction with your vehicle’s Anti-Lock Brake System, EBD controls brake power distribution between front and rear wheels, as well as left and right, to ensure traction, braking, and cornering are always optimal.
• Brake Assist⁸ – During emergency braking, Brake Assist may step in to help drivers stop in time, by adding additional brake force.

Prevention and Protection

Toyota has always been dedicated to protecting its customers, and thanks to some amazing advancements in safety technology, your Toyota isn’t just built for value and reliability. It’s also built to protect you, your family, other motorists, and pedestrians in revolutionary ways. For more information about Toyota’s innovations in safety technology or to see these features in action for yourself, contact the team at Heritage Toyota Catonsville, Harrisburg & Owings Mills today or visit our showroom at Find a Location Near You.

¹ Drivers are responsible for their own safe driving. Always pay attention to your surroundings and drive safely. System effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

² The TSS Pre-Collision System is designed to help avoid or reduce the crash speed and damage in certain frontal collisions only. It is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

³ Lane Departure Alert is designed to read visible lane markers under certain conditions and provide visual and audible alerts when lane departure is detected. It is not a collision-avoidance system or a substitute for safe and attentive driving. Effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

⁴ Automatic High Beams operate at speeds above 25 mph. Factors such as a dirty windshield, weather, lighting and terrain limit effectiveness requiring the driver to manually operate the high beams. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

⁵ Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is designed to assist the driver and is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving practices. System effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and traffic conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

⁶ Do not rely exclusively on Road Sign Assist (RSA). RSA is a driver support system that utilizes the vehicle’s forward-facing camera and navigation system (when data is available) to recognize certain road signs and provide information to the driver via the multi-information display and/or Head-Up display. Effectiveness is dependent on road, weather, vehicle and sign conditions. Use common sense when using RSA and do not drive distracted. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

⁷ Lane Tracing (Trace) Assist (LTA) is designed to read visible lane markers and detect other vehicles under certain conditions. When potential lane departure is detected, LTA provides a visual warning and either an audible alert or vibration in the steering wheel and can apply a slight steering force. It is not a collision-avoidance system or a substitute for safe and attentive driving. Effectiveness is dependent on many factors including road, weather and vehicle conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

⁸ Brake Assist (BA) is designed to help the driver take full advantage of the benefits of ABS. It is not a substitute for safe driving practices. Braking effectiveness also depends on proper vehicle maintenance, tire and road conditions. See Owner’s Manual for additional limitations and details.

⁹ The Pedestrian Detection System, part of the Advanced Pre-Collision System, is designed to detect a pedestrian or bicyclist ahead of the vehicle, determine if impact is imminent and help reduce impact speed. It is not a collision avoidance system and is not a substitute for safe and attentive driving. System effectiveness depends on many factors, such as speed, size and position of pedestrian or bicyclist and weather, light and road conditions. See Owner's Manual for additional limitations and details.

Video and Image Credit: Toyota