Toyota Prius: Emergency Driving Stop System

The 2024 Toyota Prius is equipped with an Emergency Driving Stop System (EDSS), a safety feature designed to assist in situations where the driver may be incapacitated or unresponsive. This system enhances overall vehicle safety by bringing the car to a controlled stop if necessary. Here’s a detailed look at how the Emergency Driving Stop System works:

Emergency Driving Stop System (EDSS)

Overview

The Emergency Driving Stop System (EDSS) in the 2024 Toyota Prius is a sophisticated safety feature that monitors driver responsiveness and can intervene to stop the vehicle if the driver becomes unresponsive. This system helps prevent accidents and ensures the safety of the driver, passengers, and other road users.

How It Works

1. Driver Monitoring:

• The EDSS continuously monitors the driver’s actions, such as steering input, acceleration, and braking.
• If the system detects a lack of driver activity or responsiveness over a certain period, it assumes the driver may be incapacitated.

2. Warning Alerts:

• If the system detects unresponsiveness, it initially attempts to alert the driver through visual and auditory warnings.
• The dashboard may display a warning message, and a buzzer will sound to prompt the driver to take action.

3. Automatic Intervention:

• If the driver does not respond to the warnings, the EDSS takes control to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.
• The system will gradually reduce the vehicle’s speed, activate the hazard lights to warn other road users, and steer the vehicle to the side of the road if possible.

4. Complete Stop:

• Once the vehicle has come to a complete stop, the EDSS keeps the hazard lights on to ensure the vehicle is visible to other drivers.
• The system remains active until the driver resumes control or emergency services arrive.

Key Features and Benefits

• Enhanced Safety: The primary benefit of EDSS is to enhance safety by preventing potential accidents if the driver becomes incapacitated or unresponsive.
• Automatic Intervention: The system takes over in emergency situations, ensuring the vehicle is brought to a controlled stop in a safe manner.
• Visual and Auditory Alerts: Before taking control, the system attempts to alert the driver with visual and auditory warnings, providing an opportunity for the driver to respond.
• Hazard Light Activation: During the automatic stop process, the hazard lights are activated to alert other road users, reducing the risk of collision.

Usage Considerations

• Responsiveness: Drivers should remain attentive and responsive to the road at all times. The EDSS is a safety net, not a substitute for responsible driving.
• Regular Maintenance: Ensure the vehicle’s systems, including EDSS, are regularly maintained and checked for proper operation.
• Understanding Limitations: While the EDSS significantly enhances safety, it is not foolproof. Drivers should not rely solely on this system and must always practice safe driving habits.

The Emergency Driving Stop System in the 2024-2025 Toyota Prius is designed to provide an additional layer of safety, ensuring that the vehicle can be safely stopped in situations where the driver is unresponsive. This system underscores Toyota's commitment to safety and innovation, providing peace of mind for drivers and passengers alike.

The emergency driving stop system is a system which automatically decelerates and stops the vehicle within its lane if the driver becomes unable to continue driving the vehicle, such as if they have suffered a medical emergency, etc.

During LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) control, if the system does not detect driving operations, such as if the driver is not holding the steering wheel, and determines the driver is not responsive, the vehicle will be decelerated and stopped within its current lane to help avoid a collision or reduce the impact of a collision.

WARNING

For safe use

• Driving safely is solely the responsibility of the driver. Pay careful attention to the surrounding conditions in order to ensure safe driving. The emergency driving stop system is designed to provide support in an emergency where it is difficult for the driver to continue driving, such as if they have had a medical emergency. It is not designed to support driving while drowsy or in poor physical health, or inattentive driving.
• Although the emergency driving stop system is designed to decelerate the vehicle within its lane to help avoid or help reduce the impact of a collision if the system determines that it is difficult for the driver to continue driving, its effectiveness may change according to various conditions. Therefore, it may not always be able to achieve the same level of performance.

  Also, if the operating conditions are not met, this function will not operate.

• After the emergency driving stop system operates, if driving becomes possible again, immediately begin driving again or, if necessary, park the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and set a warning reflector and flare to warn other drivers of your stopped vehicle.
• After this system operates, passengers should attend to the driver as necessary and take appropriate hazard prevention measures, such as moving to a place where safety can be ensured, such as the shoulder of the road or behind a guardrail.
• This system detects the condition of the driver through the operation of the steering wheel.

  This system may operate if the driver is aware but intentionally and continuously does not operate the vehicle. Also, the system may not operate if it cannot determine that the driver is not responsive, such as if they are leaning on the steering wheel.

Summary of the system

Operation of this system is separated into 4 control states.

Through control state "warning phase 1" and "warning phase 2", the system determines if the driver is aware and responsive while outputting a warning and controlling the vehicle speed. If the system determines the driver is not responsive, it will operate in control state "deceleration stop phase" and "stop hold phase" and decelerate and stop the vehicle. It will then operate continuously in "stop hold phase".

Operating conditions

This system operates when all of the following conditions are met:

• When the LTA is on
• When the vehicle speed is approximately 30 mph (50 km/h) or more

Operation cancelation conditions

In the following situations, system operation will be canceled:

• When LTA control has been canceled (the LTA switch has been pressed, etc.)
• When the dynamic radar cruise control has been canceled
• When driver operations are detected (the steering wheel is held, the brake pedal, accelerator pedal, parking brake, emergency flasher switch, or turn signal lever is operated)
• When the driving assist switch is pressed while in the stop and hold phase
• When the power switch has been turned from ON mode to off
• Situations in which some or all of the functions of the system cannot operate

LTA control when operation is canceled

When emergency driving stop system operation is canceled, LTA control may also be canceled.

Warning phase 1

If driving operations are not detected after the hands off steering wheel warning operates, a buzzer will sound intermittently and a message will be displayed to warn the driver, and the system will judge if the driver is responsive or not. If driving operations, such as holding the steering wheel, are not performed within a certain amount of time, the system will enter warning phase 2.

Warning phase 2

After entering warning phase 2, a buzzer will sound in short intervals and a message will be displayed to warn the driver, and the vehicle will slowly decelerate.

If driving operations, such as holding the steering wheel, are not performed within a certain amount of time, the system will determine that the driver is not responsive and enter the deceleration stop phase.

The audio system will be muted until the driver becomes responsive.

When the vehicle is decelerating, the brake lights may illuminate, depending on the road conditions, etc.

Deceleration stop phase

After entering the deceleration stop phase, a buzzer will sound continuously and a message will be displayed to warn the driver, and the vehicle will slowly decelerate and stop. After the vehicle stops, the system will enter the stop and hold phase.

Stop hold phase

After the vehicle is stopped, the parking brake will be applied automatically. After entering the stop and hold phase, the buzzer will continue sounding continuously and the emergency flashers (hazard lights) will flash to warn other drivers of the emergency

Restricted functions after the operation is canceled

After shifting to the deceleration stop phase, the following functions will not be available until the hybrid system is re-started even though the emergency driving stop system is canceled:

• LTA
• LCA (if equipped)