New Rear Collision Pre-Crash Protection to Debut in 2007 Lexus LS

Wouldn't it be nice if your car could prepare you for an accident before it happened? A new technology from Toyota can do just that.

To be clear, systems already exist for sensing a crash from an oncoming car before it happens, but until now nothing has been created for doing the same thing from behind. A new technology can actually sense rear collisions before they happen, according to Toyota, thanks to a radar device installed into a cars rear bumper.

With the information, sensors integrated within the front headrests will automatically adjust them to optimal pre-crash positions to reduce whiplash injury, while hazard lights immediately start flashing to warn the driver of the potential rear impact.

The first car to get the rear impact sensor will be Lexus new LS flagship sedan, said Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe, Friday, when it goes on sale in Japan next month, but the system wont be available in North America just yet. There are no plans in place for the system in Europe, at least not yet.

Toyotas Executive Vice-President Kazuo Okamoto told reporters, "We are determined in our pursuit to develop vehicles that will have zero traffic accidents."

Together with the new rear impact detection system, an additional Toyota safety feature senses pedestrians plus oncoming cars and other obstacles, thanks to a new stereo camera that has the ability to shoot three-dimensional images and process the information to enhance the vehicles depth perception. Whats more, an infrared projector integrated within the headlight clusters enhances nighttime visibility, further reducing the chances of accident. When the system "sees" a pedestrian or some other foreign object, it triggers sensors within the cabin to retract the seatbelts and make other adjustments to protect the driver and its passengers, plus, if the driver doesnt brake, the car takes over and adds braking force to stop the car automatically. Toyota believes the system can inevitably save lives of vehicle occupants and pedestrians.

The new Lexus LS is considered by many to be one of the worlds most sophisticated cars, with an eight-speed automatic transmission in base guise and even the option of a hybrid-enhanced eight-cylinder engine that will put out the equivalent of V12 power while only guzzling down V6 quantities of fuel.

Sound too good to be true? Supposedly not for Lexus.