How Does Lane Assist Work?

Lane assist is one of many high-tech safety features being built into the latest motor vehicles, but the technology may be having unintended consequences. And when things go wrong with these features — thus posing a safety hazard — they may not be covered by warranty, even if they should be.

What is Lane Assist?

Also known as Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist, this technology is designed to prevent drivers from accidentally drifting into another lane, or changing lanes when it is unsafe to do so.

Such systems employ cameras in front of the vehicle that monitor the lines in the road and surrounding traffic, providing different types of warnings when a vehicle is approaching or crosses the line. These warnings may take the form of an alarm, a visual signal, or even vibrations or mechanical resistance from the vehicle itself (steering becomes resistant, the car brakes itself, etc.)

How Does Lane Assist Work?

There are a number of different lane systems available, the most common of which is Lane Departure Warning or LDW. This system provides audible and/or visual alarms when the driver attempts to change lanes without signaling.

More advanced systems, such as Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Centering Assist (LCA) or Road Departure Assist (RDA) actually take control of the vehicle when it begins to drift, using the steering and/or braking systems to keep the vehicle on the road or in its lane.

What Problems Are Drivers Having With Lane Assist?

While auto designers may have had good intentions, complex systems run the risk of more things malfunctioning. A number of drivers have complained that such systems are unreliable, saying that they are unable to detect lane markings under dark or stormy conditions, get confused by other highway markings, or detect a lane change when the driver didn’t intend one.

These features can pose a hazard if drivers are not aware that they are installed and create distractions inside the vehicle when the driver’s focus should be on the road. In the case of overactive LDW systems, when the alarms sound too often and become an annoyance, drivers may simply tune them out or attempt to disable them. Lane assist systems can also cause the very kinds of fatal car accidents they were designed to prevent.

For example, in March 2018, a high-tech Tesla slammed into a barrier at high speed, killing the driver, while all auto-pilot safety systems were engaged. Tesla blamed the severity of the accident on un-repaired damage to the barrier, but the victim’s brother says the victim had complained about how his vehicle would veer toward the barrier while auto-pilot was engaged, ABC News reported.

In another incident, an autonomous vehicle operated by Uber during a test of its self-driving capabilities struck and killed a pedestrian. The accident prompted Uber to suspend its self-driving vehicles in San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Phoenix.

Consumer Reports investigated how consumers feel about lane assist systems — whether they are effective or not, or what they would like to see improved in the technology.

According to Consumer Reports, 73 percent whose cars were simply equipped with lane departure warning were very satisfied with the technology. Lane Departure Warning is a less involved version of Lane Assist — it warns a driver when their car may be veering outside of a lane, but does not physically direct the car. Sixty-five percent of drivers who use the system say that they trust it to work every time. Thirty-three percent of drivers who use the technology say that it helped them to avoid a crash.

Happily, this satisfaction extended to Lane Keeping Assist, the technology that gently guides a vehicle back into its lane if a driver crosses lanes without signaling. Seventy-four percent of drivers like the technology, and 65 percent of them said that they trust that the system will work every time. Thirty-five percent of drivers say that the system helped them avoid a crash — slightly higher than Lane Departure Warning’s 33 percent.

Drivers who are shopping for a new car should be aware that different vehicle manufacturers have different names for Lane Keep Assist and Departure Warning technologies.

Each system may work slightly differently, so it is important to learn how each system works, and not automatically trust it. Some driver concerns were that the technology was unreliable, though some brands were reportedly more satisfying than others — Cadillac, Buick, Jeep, and Hyundai were praised for the functionality of their systems.

Join a Free Vehicle Safety Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you own a vehicle that you believe has a safety defect and you are outside of the warranty period or you believe the defect should be covered by the warranty and it’s not, or you or a family member have been injured by a safety related defect, you may qualify to join this vehicle safety defect class action lawsuit investigation.

Get a Free Case Evaluation Now

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.