• Toyota may block drivers from disabling safety features on its cars Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Email Times they are a-changin, and what was once deemed as a set of “optional” safety features on cars that one could simply disable may now soon be permanent - whether you like it or not. • The news comes viaChaisngCars, which was the first to report that Toyota is considering preventing drivers from switching off safety features in its vehicles. • According to Akihiro Sarada, president of Toyota’s software development center, the Japanese automaker is committed to achieving its goal of “zero traffic accidents” - not just fatalities, but all auto accidents. • “Our ultimate goal is to eradicate all traffic accidents, and of course, autonomous driving is a technology that is necessary to realize a safe environment,” he said. • “We have to study and decide if we would enable an ‘off’ button.” But there’s a caveat: Toyota is considering letting drivers temporarily turn off safety measures or drive as they choose in two situations - on public roads where the car’s software recognizes there are no other vehicles or people nearby, and on racetracks. • for example, if it is on the circuit, (autonomous driving and manual driving) can co-exist," said Sarada.
Article Summaries:
- Toyota is exploring a policy that would prevent drivers from disabling safety systems in its vehicles. According to Akihiro Sarada, president of Toyota’s software development centre, the automaker’s “zero‑traffic‑accident” goal may require safety features to remain active at all times. Toyota may still allow temporary deactivation only when the car’s software detects no other road users or on racetracks, giving drivers discretionary control in low‑risk environments. The move follows a study showing 69 % of drivers turn off safety aids because they find them annoying, while 23 % do so out of perceived lack of need. Toyota is weighing the balance between driver freedom and safety.
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