What is The Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS)?

A Brief Summary of Lane Keep Assist

• Uses cameras to detect the position of your lane lines.
• Emits a beeping noise or vibrates the steering wheel when you begin to drift out of the lane.
• It gently corrects your steering automatically to move you back into the lane.

What Does The Lane Keeping Assist System Do?

The lane-keep assist system relies on a series of different systems to keep you from drifting out of your current lane into a neighboring lane. Before anything else, it will vibrate or beep to inform you that you are drifting out of your current lane. You have a chance to correct the issue before it becomes more serious. The lane keep assist system keeps control in your hands at the beginning of your drifting and allows you to correct the car manually.

If you fail to correct the vehicle's position fast enough, the car will slightly nudge you toward the lane that you're supposed to be in. LKAS can keep you in the proper lane as you drive and is highly useful for keeping you from moving into other lanes around you. Lane keeping assist system will help keep you aware of your surroundings and can reduce the number of accidents you get into as well.

Lane Departure Warning vs Lane Keep Assist

There are some vehicles that have a lane departure warning system without the full lane keep assist technology. These systems work the same, but they don't have the ability to actually steer your vehicle. Instead, they use cameras to watch the lines of your lane and to determine when you are drifting. When you start drifting too much, the lane departure warning will sound with beeps, begin vibrating the steering wheel, or will do both things at the same time. No matter how your particular system works, it will let you know that you're making a mistake.

How Does Lane Keep Assist Work

If you've ever wondered, what is lane keep assist and how does it work, the idea behind the technology is simple enough. Basically, your car has a set of cameras that look at the lines on the road. The cameras feed data to a computer that interprets where your car is positioned in relation to the lane that you're in at the time. The car's computer can detect if the lines are drifting more than they should be as you drive, and if that happens, the alert systems and self-correction systems kick in to help protect you.

First, your car will warn you with vibrations and beeping that you are moving out of your lane. The lane assist attempts to give you a warning as soon as it can without being annoying or triggering too frequently. After you get a warning, the system gives you a moment to correct yourself. If you don't correct yourself, it is capable of adjusting your steering gently to move you back into your lane. The technology isn't meant to serve as a self-driving tool but is a reliable safety measure to help keep cars on the road and to prevent them from drifting into other vehicles on the road when driving in congested traffic situations.

Why LKAS May Fail In Certain Driving Conditions

Because of how lane assist works, the system can only work when the lines of your lane are fully visible. If the car's cameras cannot clearly see the lines on either side of you, it can't keep you inside the lane. That means if you drive during snowy weather conditions or you drive on the road without lines, the tech won't work for you. The lane keep assist system also doesn't function on roads with faded lines. The car must visually track the lines on the road, and without lines, it doesn't know where your car is supposed to be positioned as you drive around. This is a real issue for technology, and you can't always rely on LKAS to keep you safe for this reason.

What is Lane Change Assist?

Much like the lane keep assist, there is another lane assist tool known as lane change assist. This advanced driver assistance system relies on proximity sensors to detect whether there are cars in your blind spot when you go to change lanes. The biggest risk that comes along with switching lanes is driving into the other lane while a car is in your blind spot. If you do this, you will collide with a vehicle that you never saw. That's why it's important to check your mirrors frequently before changing lanes, but even then, you could miss the vehicle. Cars with lane assist give you a little warning light that lets you know when a vehicle is in your blind spot. If you see the light is on, you know to wait until the vehicle is out of your blind spot before you change lanes. It's a simple system that gives you one little bit of protection to keep you from getting into accidents as you change lanes.

Changing lanes and staying in your current lane is one of the most important parts of driving safely. Far too many drivers fall asleep behind the wheel or look away from the road and drift into a dangerous position that puts other vehicles in danger. Lane keeping assist systems keep vehicles safe on the road, keep drivers informed when they are making mistakes and help to keep everyone safer. As more vehicles come with this technology, drivers will make fewer mistakes. If you're searching for your next vehicle, you should look for these key safety features to help keep you and your family safe. Along with looking at a detailed vehicle history report to learn about the condition of the vehicle and its past, you should look at all its safety features to determine if it's a good option for you and your family.