I had a 2010 Prius III and was involved in a bad accident and had to total the car. Now I am considering to get 2012 five with advanced safety options like lane keep assist(LKA) and pre collision system (PCS). Does anybody had any experience with those options and how helpful those options can be in case of any unfortunate accidents? Does PCS work in case of impending crash in front of moving objects like car as well as stationary object like pole or something similar? I understand that this features are not designed to replace safe and attentive driving but can help lessen the impact just in case. Thanks.
The most valuable ATP option for most of us is the DRCC, it works great and I use it exclusively, I never use the normal cruise control. I use the LKA sometimes when I am on long trips and I start to feel tired or like I might get sleepy, other than that I usually don't turn it on. When I do turn it on it works OK most of the time, but mine seems to have trouble picking out the lane edge at night on poorly lighted or unlighted roads. PCS is something I hope I never get to test! It should work on stationary as well as moving objects. I understand in 2012 the ATP option comes with HUD, I wish my car had that.
If you approach a moving or stationary object too closely at too high a speed, it cinches up the seat belts, primes the brakes, makes warning sounds, and if necessary, applies the brakes pretty forcefully, but without attempting a dead stop. There are several threads here where people reported and described their actual experiences. It's pretty impressive when it happens. It may be testimony to this preventative system that I haven't seen anyone report an actual accident after this system kicked in.
