Toyota Announces New Safety Research Projects

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) announced 10 new research initiatives to enhance the development, testing and implementation of new automotive safety innovations across North America.

The new projects will research subjects ranging from driver education and collision mitigation to accident reconstruction and enhanced crash data analysis.

About the new CSRC Research Programs

· Demands of In-Vehicle Interfaces

A two-year study to explore how the use of in-vehicle voice command systems affect driver distraction.

· Pedestrian Pre-Collision Systems (PCS) Test Scenarios

The five-year study will draw on available crash data in NHTSA databases and original vehicle testing to develop more sophisticated and realistic test scenarios for PCS with the goal of improving pedestrian safety.

· Posture, Body Shape, and Seatbelt Fit in Senior Drivers

An 18-month project to study the relationship between age and seated occupant posture, body shape, and seatbelt fit.

· Senior Driver Support – Brain Training

A three-year project to test and compare the benefits of a brain fitness training program for senior drivers.

· Lane Departure Warning System Safety Benefit Estimation

A three-year study to evaluate the safety benefits of Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Systems.

· Advanced Automated Crash Notification

A one-year partnership to develop vehicle computer systems that notify first responders of a collision and predict the likelihood and severity of occupant and driver injuries.

· THUMS Simulation of Real-World Collision Events

A five-year project to combine collision reconstruction data with Finite Element Modeling to better understand how to reduce injuries caused by vehicle collisions.

· Washtenaw County Crash Data Archive

A two-year study to explore new models for post-crash accident data collection. The study aims to help prevent future collisions through an improved understanding of information that could be used to make vehicles and U.S. roads and highways safer.

· Driver Distraction: Cognitive Model & Validation

A three-year collaborative study to better understand the cognitive aspect of driver distraction.

· Finite Element Model Development for Vulnerable Populations

A four-and-a-half-year study to develop human body finite element (FE) models for children and seniors so that engineers can account for differences in their body characteristics when designing vehicle safety systems.

Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.