As part of Toyota's commitment to delivering "advanced safety features for the masses," Toyota recently earned the 2016 Yankee Cup Technology Award from the New England Motor Press Association for its Toyota Safety Sense (TSS-P) safety package. Toyota plans to make the technology available on nearly every Toyota trim level in the United States, beginning with 2018 model-year vehicles. NEMPA presented Toyota with the award during its sixth annual conference at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Toyota Safety Sense package is comprised of four main technologies:
- Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist: Alerts the driver to unintentional deviations, and delivers small corrective inputs.
- Dynamic Radar Cruise Control: Adjusts speed to maintain a preset distance from preceding vehicle.
- Automatic High Beams: Detects high beams of oncoming vehicles.
- Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection: Alerts the driver to a high possibility of frontal collision. In certain situations, it applies the brakes automatically.
Two other Toyota vehicles earned NEMPA awards. Both the RAV4 Hybrid and Tacoma took home Winter Vehicle Awards in the Green Crossover and Midsize Pickup categories, respectively.
