Safety Tech: Lane Assist

Lack of concentration can cause accidents, especially on long motorway drives, so car makers came up with lane assist to prevent them.

The main place where lane assist was designed for was the motorway. Not only is this where the most lanes are but it is also the place where you are likely to lose your concentration- it can be quite boring. Perfect place then.

Lane assist works by recognising when the vehicle is unintentionally leaving a lane- whether you’ve lost concentration or full on nodded off. The first lane assist systems acted as a ‘reminder’. When the vehicle starts to leave the lane the car will notify the driver by vibrating the steering wheel, playing audible alarms or potentially both. Hopefully that gives the driver the kick up the backside that is required and they pull back into the lane.

More advanced systems will take control if the car thinks things are starting to go awry. Normally this takes place if you begin to move lanes without indicating at which point the car will pull you back into the lane you are leaving.

Lane assist is called something different by every car company so make sure you check the specifications of your vehicle carefully.

In the event of emergency, lane assist is a great system but it does have it’s downsides. The car will use sensors to determine where the lanes are so if these get obscured by dirt or snow then the system may not work properly. That's why it is important to keep them clean. 

Distraction whilst driving is one of the main circumstances in which lane assist can help. The main reason why we get distracted behind the wheel is because of our mobile phones. We respond to the beckon call of our mobile phones faster than the cry of an endangered child. That may be pushing it slightly but the point is- we let them capture our attention a lot.

Mobile phones can easily take our attention whilst we are driving so it is important to keep them in a secure and suitable location when they’re being used for navigation. Using the Brodit Smart Search tool on the Drive Safe and Legal website, you can find the ProClip to fit your car and the phone holder to fit your phone. That means your windscreen won’t be obscured and your phone will be held securely whilst you are driving.