Toyota has developed a world first rear-seat centre airbag to help reduce the severity of passenger injuries in side-on collisions.

The new supplemental restraint system (SRS) airbag is fitted in a fixed rear-seat centre console and will feature in particular Toyota models to be released in the near future.

When the vehicle is hit side-on, the airbag deploys from the top of the console to act as a barrier that helps lessen injuries caused by passengers colliding with each other or into the console.

The Japanese manufacturer has not officially announced when the technology will arrive in its production models.