Vehicles equipped with Toyota Safety Sense P and ICS are classified in the “wide” Safety Support Car S (or Sapo Car S) category, are recommended particularly for older drivers, and adhere to the Safety Support Car recommendation of a public-private partnership that includes the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

Toyota will increase vehicles equipped with Toyota Safety Sense and ICS, which have proven safety enhancement effects, to approximately 90% of all vehicles sold, including compact cars, by the end of FY2018.

Rear-end collision survey results. The accident incidence rate is calculated by dividing the number of accidents by the number of vehicles in operation (converted from the number of vehicles sold based on the timing of sale). The Prius was the subject vehicle series; the survey pool comprised approximately 247,000 vehicles, of which approximately 84,000 were equipped with Toyota Safety Sense P, and approximately 121,000 were equipped with Toyota Safety Sense P and ICS. Click to enlarge.

In addition to expanding the adoption of safety support technologies, Toyota is increasing programs to educate drivers, pedestrians, and others about safety. "Support Toyota” programs are being conducted in collaboration with dealerships and other organizations with the aim of enhancing customer safety and assurance.

In addition to further expansion of ICS test ride events, which started this year at dealerships in Japan, Toyota plans to extend the experience of the automated braking feature in Toyota Safety Sense at dealerships, as well. All participating dealership staff will enroll in a licensing program to ensure safe operation and provide thorough information to customers.

Toyota wishes to provide opportunities for more customers to experience safety features, and believes that by reaching out to more customers, safety features will be more accurately understood. Initially, Toyota will create a structure for implementation of ICS test rides with the 280 Toyota dealerships throughout Japan this year. By June 2018, Toyota aims to implement the program at all dealerships that can secure space for the ICS test rides.

Toyota will also continue the City Firefly Project, a traffic safety awareness program launched last year with dealerships, and take measures to reduce nighttime accidents. Toyota will conduct other traffic safety awareness programs as part of “Support Toyota” activities.

To prevent accidents involving pedestrians in low-light evening conditions and at night, when the incidence of fatal traffic accidents is higher, the City Firefly Project encourages the effective use of high-beam headlights, which can expand visibility to more distant areas, and encourages pedestrians to wear reflective materials to make themselves more visible to drivers.