New vehicle technology meant to improve driving safety and ease is changing fast, making it a challenge for drivers to keep up.
How much of a challenge was revealed by a recent study.
It showed a “really surprising” level of confusion about features that have been standard in American cars for quite some time, according to one researcher, Daniel McGehee, director of the Transportation and Vehicle Safety Research Division at the University of Iowa Public Policy Center.
This blog post is about lane-departure-warning and lane-keeping technology that helps keep drivers on the straight and narrow, especially during highway travel.
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The technology, which monitors a vehicle’s position with cameras, warns drivers if their vehicle is straying into a neighboring traffic lane and, in some cases, corrects automatically, could prevent many accidents a year, according to the host of the video below.
That doesn’t mean drivers can be less focused – daydreaming or other distractions still are dangerous practices – but it does mean drivers have an extra layer of safety.
The university is cooperating with the National Safety Council through the website MyCarDoesWhat.org to provide information to new-vehicle owners on current technology. This includes videos and informational graphics that are entertaining and educational.
The video presented here, “Keeping You in Line,” comes from MyCarDoesWhat.org, and is a continuation of a regular series on this blog. A 30-second quick guide also follows, plus a brief introduction to Rick and Scout, who host the full-length videos.
Lane departure warning
Quick guide video
Rick and Scout
