Safety Sense 3.0 Traffic Jam Assist - General Driver Assistance Impressions/Observations.

[Winchester44]

Hey Everyone,

I've just finished my first week of ownership and thought I would share some comments on the Driver Assistance features . These are features I was very curious about, but was really not sure what to expect. Reading up on reviews on Safety Sense 3.0 Traffic Jam Assist you will read wildly diverging comments ranging from "it drives itself" to "its total #$@# turn that $%@ off". I thought I might share a few observation/impressions having seen the systems in action first hand.

1. I think a great deal of negative commentary is a general lack of understanding the technology that drives these systems and the limitations of it. It's not a magic or omniscient system that can see forever or in every direction. It's limited by what a single forward facing radar sensor and single forward facing camera can see. It doesn't utilize premapped roads files like a Bluecruise or Supercruise and I don't think it uses GPS either. That all being said when being utilized for its stated use cases (Ex long open high speed well marked highway or low speed traffic jams) it's bloody good!
If you are using it in fast moving heavy traffic, on a poorly marked or sharply winding road or other conditions beyond what the manual states it can handle, you will be disappointed. However, give it a chance to do its thing in a low speed traffic jam under 25 mph or a gently curving open well marked highway well up to well beyond the speed limit and the system functions exactly as the manual says it should. Bottom line, it functions just as advertised.

2. The active driver monitoring often derided as "the nanny" nagging you to keep the eyes forward and hands on the wheel is absolutely necessary for the active modes to work safely. I don't fault Toyota for including them at all. Lane markers can suddenly disappear or be obstructed by something that will instantly cause the camera to break lock and you need to instantly be ready to take over. The same is true for other drivers being monitored by the radar. Those drives can and will do completely unpredictable things. Within its line of sight, the system will react faster than you can, but you need to extend that line of sight beyond the sensors and be ready to take over and help the system if something unexpected happens. My one gripe is driving into a west setting sun with glasses on, the system seems to lose lock on my eyes and issues an alert. It only happens with my clear prescription glasses. Wearing contacts with or without sunglasses it seems to have no problem. I suspect it might have something to do with with anti-blue light coating on my prescription lenses.

3. I think there are quite a few of folks that have simply not read the manual on how to operate the systems before passing judgment on these systems. Now having spent time with it, I can say for certain the complaints of it "fighting me wanting to change lanes" or "wandering/ ping ponging from one side of the lane to the other" and others are 100% user error. The fighting you changing lanes means you forgot to activate your turn signal. The button combinations/confirmations to activate the various modes are complex and if you are not paying attention you will end up in the wrong mode. For example if you stop steering and the car drifts then ping pongs from one side of the lane to the other , that is called lane departure mode and not lane tracing mode.
I think the complexity was a deliberate design choice. Toyota really wants you paying attention to what you are doing . They don't want you accidently pressing a button and activated any of the active modes. They want this to be a deliberate multi-step confirmation process to make sure the driver is fully engaged in the driving process. That is why they are calling it drive assistance and not something else.

 

[Teebo]

I've used it quite a few times and have had a great experience with it. I thought I never would use it but it's one of my favorite things on the highway.

 

[Nor Cal Cruiser]

Thanks for your helpful insight on the nannies however, I am completely against all these "aids" simply because they are trying to solve a problem that should not exist, and promote inattentive driving. Furthermore, unwitting people might rely on the system and when it reaches its limits and hands over to the driver, will they be prepared or will it will do something unexpected - as you so eloquently shared.
E.g.
Empty refrigerator box on the highway in your lane, you're driving at 70mph, and an 18 wheeler on your rear bumper, 18 wheelers either side of you. Would a human, that can see it's empty, slam on the brakes? Probably not. Would the Landcruiser slam on the brakes? I dont know and i dont want to find out the hard way. I have programmed machine vision systems and i can tell you, you cannot replace a human's experience, training, and reasoning with machines in many cases. Radar has many limitations.
In most european countries the requirements for getting a license are borderline excessive. If you have a european license, you know how to properly drive and handle most situations and evasive maneuvers. The USA license requirements, in comparison, are an embarrassment. This is why Insurance lobbyists push all the driving nannies on the government.
Im a (proud) US citizen but immigrated here and have driven all over the globe. All new drivers here should be required to take Tire Rack Teen Street Survival and an SCCA High Performance Driving Class at a minimum.
My reasoning is why many people will always gripe about the nannies, however beneficial they may be. To each his/her own, just watch out for empty boxes.

1M% agree. These systems are pretty good for inattentive drivers or those with low or moderate skills, etc. They cannot and never in my lifetime will be better than my skills.

 

[evillinux]

I have to say I am 50/50 on the systems overall. I will says that I really enjoy the Traffic Jam Assist for my morning drives for work. I definitely am still very focused on my drive during it since today as is I ran into plenty of people cutting me off, jetting in front of me, riding my ass or doing other stupid driving behavior which is normal on my drive path.

I like TJA for the bumper to bumper moving traffic specifically, it is nice the car can cruise and stop/go at low speeds that is the big function I like. I also really like at longer cruising speeds 55-70 that combined with adaptive cruise control, lane assist functions and all that it is really enjoyable to drive when it's a nice straight shot of things especially on the freeway and area that I typically have drove.

Now interesting when I went down to my local desert area there a couple different ways down with windy mountain roads and such and I found that the driving assist functions of braking and such were really nice. It took a bit getting use to, but the car's ability to downshift and actually engine brake and lightly assist with brake application made things feel much safer and easier making it down some of the windy roads at reasonable speeds. I compare this to when I've taken my '97 tsp manual 4Runner down the same paths and my '20 Tacoma Automatic. The 4Runner is easier because I can manually control my gears and speed that way. My Tacoma I am constantly having to ride the brakes on and off along with manually controlling the gears it's not as enjoyable compared to how the LC handled the roads up and down.

I will admit that I am probably in agreement that all the dings, screaming noises and other things are so thing that get mildly annoying after hearing them at times. I think Blind Spot Monitor is the one that bothers me the most because I will flip my blinker on and immediately it starts screaming at me because there is a car right behind me entering my blind spot and it has startled me a few times that would be one thing Id probably tune down if I can I probably just got to find the settings.

Overall, I am a big techie type of person so seeing all these features and functions in the LC and in the Toyota line up personally excited me. However I also accept the fact that they are all additional electric do post long term risks of more things breaking and that is something I know folks point out also. I do think and imagine Toyota put good engineering thoughts into the overall system and that they will have a good long track history but ultimately time will tell. I know from reading the history of Toyota they are slower to introduce new technology and functions because they spent eons I'm researching, developing and implementing systems so that give me a bit more confidence that the systems will last and overall they provide some creature features functionality at least in my opinion. But like others have said the human reaction and experience of driving is still a key part of functionally driving any vehicle and this tech is there to assist not replace the human aspects.

 

[EOD Guy]

I recently did a 2k trip up north. While driving through the mountains in a drizzly, rainy environment, the wipers were doing their best to keep up, but wasn't quite up to par. The Driver's Assist systems were a tremendous help keeping the LC in my lane. It was irreplaceable when trying to open a soda and a snack package.

To each their own on whether to use it or not, but I have found I use it every time I'm on the highway.

 

[jnsplace]

Moving from my Subie, which had a lot of similar (although not as advanced) safety functions, I was totally used to it. The only thing I'm not fond of is the steering wheel assist as it thinks I'm in or out of my lane. I live where the lanes appears and disappear be it country, salt, or what not. I'm getting used to it though, as frankly I'd prefer to have safety functions then not.