What is Lane Assist Technology and How Does it Work?

Drivers swerve in and out of their lanes for many reasons: fatigue, inattention, visibility issues, etc. Because of this, lane drifting results in thousands of wrecks per year. Lane-assist technology is a safety feature that could completely eliminate lane drifting in future years. Although this technology has been around for awhile, it has recently improved to the point of near autonomy under certain conditions. In an era of distraction, cars with lane assist are making the roads a significantly safer place to be.

What is Lane Assist?

In summary, there are three types of lane assist.The first is the oldest and  is simply an alert system. This technology monitors your position in the lane, and warns you when you’ve strayed. The alert can be heard as a ding, seen as a light on the dash or even felt as a steering wheel vibration.

Lane-keep assist is a more intelligent feature. If you begin to cross a lane without a turn signal, this technology will gently pull your vehicle back inside the lane.

The most advanced feature is lane-centering assist. This technology not not only keeps you inside the lane, but centers you in it.

How it Works

Lane-assist technology relies on sensory input from a lane departure camera, infrared sensors and lasers. Most commonly, the camera is found in the front of the car or in the rearview mirror. However, the camera is actually mounted on the back of the vehicle in some models.

The camera processes in real time and codes the lines on the road into visual data that the onboard computer can read. This computer instantaneously sends out commands to actuators that alert the driver or steer the vehicle back between the lines.

Since the camera relies on visual input, the system is not useful when vision is impaired. This could happen because of rain, snow, leaves or poorly painted or faded road lines. For this reason, you cannot rely on lane assist technology alone.

Vehicles In Our Inventory That Feature Lane Assist Technology

At LeSueur Car Company, we have many vehicles in our inventory that feature the latest lane assist technology.

Some of these vehicles include:

• 2019 Mini Clubman

• 2019 Fiat 124 Spider

• 2019 Volkswagen Jetta SE

• 2018 Subaru Outback Touring

• 2018 Toyota Corolla LE

• 2018 Audi SQ5

• 2018 Nissan Kicks

• 2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited

• 2018 Ford Fusion Energi

• 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid

• 2017 Lexus RX 350

The reality of self-driving vehicles is no longer a question of if, but when;  and lane-assist technology is a huge piece of that puzzle. It is not just an

exciting time to be a driver, but it is also a safer time to be one. In fact, according to Nationwide, crash statistics show that lane departure warning systems have reduced all relevant crashes by 11%, and all relevant injury crashes by 21%.

If you are interested in purchasing a vehicle with lane assist technology, please click here to browse our inventory or give us a call at 480-389-0779 for more information.