How Subaru Driver Assist Technology Keeps You Safer

Subaru EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology: How Subarus Can Keep You Safer On The Road

Subaru has long been a leader in car safety systems, particularly those that allow the driver and passengers to be safer in a collision. Today most car buyers take crumple zones, safety belts, airbags and anti-lock brakes for granted, but overall safety features of a car are still a priority for most people. However, the focus is now shifting from what happens during and after an accident to preventing accidents from happening in the first place.

According to a Consumer Reports article, in a national survey of U.S. drivers that plan to buy a new or used vehicle in the next two years, 51% said it was very important for their next car to have a rearview camera or backup warning, and 45% said they wanted a blind-spot warning system. It’s clear that these types of preventative safety measures are an important factor in new car purchases.

Subaru’s latest driver safety systems go well beyond just protecting passengers in the event of a collision. Subaru’s EyeSight system, first introduced in 2013, has evolved to become the top-rated collision avoidance systems available. 

The Subaru EyeSight safety system works with a pair of full-color cameras mounted on both sides of the rear-view mirror. Because the pair of cameras work together, they function like human eyes and offer depth-of-field vision and offer the capability of not only seeing things in front of the vehicle, but also judge how far away the items are and how fast their distance from the vehicle is changing. This allows the EyeSight system to detect pedestrians and other obstacles, traffic lanes and other vehicles near and around your car like no other auto safety system available on the market.

Because this technology uses two cameras instead of a high-priced radar-type system, Subaru can offer the EyeSight system on even its base models, highly enhancing the vehicle safety aspect for even the most cost-conscious car buyer. Eyesight is available on the Impreza, Crosstrek and WRX and is standard on the Forester, Outback, Legacy and all three-row Ascent SUVs (NOTE: it is not available on the BRX sports sedan.)

Among its many features, Subaru’s EyeSight system provides throttle management to adjust your vehicle’s speed to account for speed changes of the vehicle you are following. Particularly useful in city traffic, this automatically adjusts your vehicle’s speed with the varying speed of the vehicle you are following. It also slows your vehicle automatically if a pedestrian or other obstruction – like an animal or other object -- enters the roadway in front of you.

The EyeSight system also offers emergency braking to avoid rear-end collisions – which comes in handy in many everyday driving situations. For instance, how many times have you come up behind a line of vehicles at a green light, expecting the cars to start moving, only to suddenly find that they are still completely stopped? Have you ever had to unexpectedly brake in those circumstances? The EyeSight system helps avoid that frustration by automatically adjusting your throttle, then braking as necessary if you don’t have time to react. The EyeSight system even offers full emergency braking capability in order to avoid rear-end collisions.

The Subaru EyeSight Driver Assist Technology system can keep you safer on the road and help prevent car accidents. In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) noted that the EyeSight system can reduce the possibility of a rear-end collision by 85%^*, and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) reports that vehicles with the second-generation EyeSight system have 41% fewer pedestrian-related insurance claims.^**

EyeSight also provides Lane Keep Assist and Sway Warning, which alerts the driver if the lane position varies or if the vehicle encroaches on another lane. Important in heavy traffic or on curvy roads, this feature can actually help steer the vehicle safely back into the correct lane if not completed by the driver after the warning. This is especially helpful while driving at night or during inclement weather, such as snow and rain when visibility is an issue.

But our personal favorite feature is the ability for EyeSight to adapt the cruise control to maintain a safe following distance despite fluctuating speeds of the vehicle in front of you. Imagine you are driving in the fast lane and a car changes lanes in front you and it’s going significantly slower than you are driving. EyeSight automatically slows your vehicle, pacing the car in front of you at a safe distance until that vehicle moves into another lane. Once your car senses a clear road in front of you, it automatically resumes your car’s previous speed. Cool!

By combining EyeSight with Subaru’s Driver Assist features, which helps prevent collisions through blind spot detection, cross traffic alerts and high-beam assist, Subaru has maintained its leadership in providing safe and reliable vehicles. In fact, all 2018 Subaru models with EyeSight achieved the highest possible rating by the IIHS in frontal crash prevention.^*

If you’re in the market for a new car that gives you the ultimate in safety features, Subaru models with the EyeSight Driver Assist Technology system are definitely worth checking out!

Neil Huffman Subaru in Louisville, KY, has been providing drivers with the best deals on new and used vehicles for more than 50 years. Let us show you what Subaru has to offer when it comes to stylish and safe driving. Visit our website or call us today at 888-696-0633 for more information on what we have in our current inventory!

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*Based on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reporting data as of November 2016 from Model Year 2013–2015 Subaru models equipped with EyeSight through 2014.   (https://www.subaru.com/engineering/eyesight.html, https://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/53/3/2 )

**A comprehensive study published by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) confirmed that EyeSight Driver Assist Technology is effective at preventing collisions with pedestrians. HLDI found that the second-generation Subaru EyeSight reduced the rate of likely pedestrian-related insurance claims by 41% compared to vehicles without the technology (https://www.iihs.org/media/e8f617a5-b8f8-42e6-8b0f-9f56f9cb4208/W63Mlg/HLDI%20Research/Bulletins/hldi_bulletin_34.39.pdf, https://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/53/3/2 )