Toyota's latest feat isn’t about prepping for a new racing series; it’s about pushing the boundaries of safety tech. Imagine a future where crash avoidance systems possess the finesse of a pro drifter. That’s the vision behind Toyota Research Institute (TRI) and Stanford Engineering’s project, which successfully saw two autonomous Supras drifting in tandem.

This isn't just for show. The goal is to develop crash avoidance systems that can perform like expert drifters, helping drivers recover from skids and slides. Each Supra was equipped with sensors and computers to control the steering, throttle, and brakes. TRI programmed the lead car to follow a precise drifting path, while Stanford coded the chase car to dynamically adapt, drifting next to it without crashing. And guess what? It worked like a charm.

"This new technology can kick in precisely in time to safeguard a driver and manage a loss of control, just as an expert drifter would," said Avinash Balachandran, vice president of TRI's Human Interactive Driving division.

Most of us aren't drift kings. When a car starts to skid, the average driver has only a split second to react correctly, and often, that’s not enough. But an autonomous system capable of controlling a car through a drift as the driver loses control could be a game-changer. Researchers are already using insights from this project to develop new ways to control cars on icy surfaces.

Modern cars are safer than ever, largely thanks to advanced technology. Today’s vehicles can sense their surroundings and intervene before the driver even knows there’s a problem. However, they’re not infallible. Toyota and Stanford’s drift-happy Supras are helping to bridge those gaps, but we’re still a few years away from a world dominated by autonomous vehicles.