Toyota to Introduce Collision-Avoidance System

Toyota Motor Corp. says some of its vehicles will soon offer a system designed to mitigate potential collisions at closing speeds as high as 60 kph (37 mph).

The technology uses millimeter-wave radar to monitor the speed of the vehicle ahead. When it detects a collision risk, it sounds a warning and illuminates a display.

If the driver applies the brakes, the system automatically boosts braking force to about twice that typical of unaided emergency braking. If the driver fails to brake and a collision becomes unavoidable, the system automatically decelerates the vehicle to about 30 kph (19 mph) before impact.

Toyota says its system is designed specifically to address Japanese accident research that indicates 90% of rear-end crashes occur at closing speeds of less than 60 kph.