Stay In Your Lane
Your cargo is precious. Lane Assist keeps it safe.
Discover the differences in Lane Assist safety features.
Stay In Your Lane
Your cargo is precious. Lane Assist keeps it safe.
What is Lane Assist or Lane Departure Warning?
Lane Assist, sometimes called Lane Departure Warning, is a safety feature in most new vehicles that use forward-facing cameras to monitor lanes around your vehicle.
When a vehicle migrates out of the lane, the Lane Departure Warning system will alert the driver through a variety of methods that their vehicle has migrated to a different lane. The alerts may be audible or visual in nature, and may even include tactile warnings such as seat vibration.
Related safety features include:
- Forward Collision Warning
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
Read our guide below to understand what makes Lane Assist Systems a powerful safety feature, and what makes these safety features different between manufacturers.
Lane Keeping Assist FAQ
First, you may have questions about what Lane Assist is, and the difference between Lane Keeping Assist systems. Read our FAQ and then check out our recommended vehicles below.
Are all Lane Departure Warning Systems the same?
There are a few variations of the Lane Assist systems that you might encounter. Below are the different systems and what they mean.
Lane Departure Warning (LDW): Audible or visual warnings signal to the driver that their vehicle is approaching or may be crossing the lane markings.
Lane Keeping Assist (LKA): An automatic steering system, which may also include an automatic braking system, keeps the vehicle within its lane.
Road Departure Assist (RDA): An automatic steering system, which may also include an automatic braking system, keeps the vehicle on the roadway itself.
Lane Centering Assist (LCA): An automatic steering system, which may also include an automatic braking system, to keep the vehicle in the center of the lane.
Should I buy a car with Lane Assist?
According to ScienceDirect, Lane Assist can reduce single-vehicle lane departure crashes by 66% by the year 2045. Road crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. 94% of crashes that result in fatalities are due to human error.
With Lane Assist, a type of driving automation aimed at preventing such crashes and automotive accidents, drivers have a safety net. Lane Departure Warning systems could reduce crashes by nearly 340,000 in the United States every year if available on all vehicles.
Lane Assist is more than just a warning system. From Forward-Collision Warning to other Lane Assist systems, your safety is of the utmost importance when you get behind the wheel. Text messages, billboards, stray animals, GPS systems, and children in the backseat all provide ample distractions for drivers. Lane Assist in its various flavors can help prevent distraction-related fatalities.
Many of these features are available on the standard trim levels of many modern vehicles, speaking greatly to their importance and ability to save lives on American roadways every year. Keep you, your teenage drivers, and your children safe with this helpful piece of modern technology.
Will Lane Assist work in all weather conditions?
Lane Assist and other sensor systems may not work in all weather conditions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still valuable. Consider the weather where to live and make a wish list of features when you are shopping for a new vehicle.
It’s impossible for sensor and camera systems on vehicles to work at optimum levels 100% of the time. Rain, snow, and other weather may delay or inhibit the sensors. Road conditions, such as potholes and asphalt cracks may also cause false alerts.
Similarly, on old roads or roads with less visible markings, Lane Assist may not be able to read lane markings. America’s infrastructure includes several different indicators of roadway edges in addition to the yellow stripe, such as raised dots on the pavement.
AutoNation Drive Editors' Guide to Lane Assist Systems
Our AutoNation Drive editors have gathered together the information on Lane Assist and similar safety systems from more than a dozen automakers. Learn about the difference in Lane Assist systems and shop for a new or used car with Lane Assist from AutoNation.
Acura Lane Keeping Assist System
Acura's Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) is a combination of Lane Assist and Lane Centering, working to precisely keep your vehicle in the center of the lane. The system tugs the wheel at the onset of a lane departure. The driver retains complete control even amid the tug, and will not steer the car indefinitely. The LKAS is especially suited for curved roadways.
Audi Pre-Sense System
Audi offers several radar systems to enable driver safety. Pre-sense systems, pedestrian and stationary vehicle detection, rear car collision detection and preparation, adaptive cruise assist, and other safety features are Audi's bread and butter. The Audi A8 in particular offers a laser scanner, also called the LIDAR, to monitor vehicle surroundings.
BMW Lane-Change Warning
On BMW vehicles, you'll find a variety of driver assistance systems, including Lane-Change Warning. BMW vehicles have multiple sensors that monitor the vehicle's movements. The Lane-Change Warning system in BMW vehicles also covers the ill-reputed Blind Spot as a package. Many of the BMW vehicles include Lane-Change Warning, including the popular BMW 5 Series.
Chevrolet Lane Keep Assist System
Chevrolet offers Lane Keep Assist on certain models. The Chevrolet Lane Keep Assist system offers a gentle steering wheel turn to get your vehicle back on track should a drift occur. As long as you're traveling 37mph and over, the Chevrolet Lane Keep Assist system will remain operational. The Lane Keep Assist system provides audible and visual alerts depending on the direction and severity of the lane drift.
Ford Lane Keeping Assist System
The Ford Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) behaves like you would expect a Lane Assist system to behave. The one caveat Ford notes on its system overview is that the system is only available over 40mph, and the camera must detect at least one lane marking. The Ford 2020 Edge offers Ford's new Co-Pilot 360 Technology program as a holistic Lane Keeping and driver assistance package.
Honda Sensing Technology
With its well-known and industry-backed safety ratings, Honda puts the safety of its drivers first with its Sensing Technology. The Honda Sensing Technology package includes the Lane Keeping Assist System that will help you keep your car in the center of the lane. To find a Honda with a Lane Keeping Assist System, look for a vehicle equipped with the Honda Sensing Technology package.
Hyundai Lane Change Assist
Many Hyundai vehicles are equipped with Lane Change Assist, which provides an audible and visual alert. The alerts are activated if another vehicle is sensed in the Blind Spot. But it will not detect all vehicles or objects in the Blind Spots. It depends on the size and distance of the object as well as the speed and angle of your vehicle in relation to other vehicles. The Hyundai Tucson is a great family vehicle with Lane Change Assist equipped.
INFINITI Lane Assist and Lane Departure Prevention
INFINITI calls its Lane Assist system Lane Departure Prevention and also lane guidance. The system uses a camera to monitor the roadway and signals the driver in case of drift. The INFINITI Lane Departure Prevention system also offers automatic braking. The ProPILOT package from INFINITI offers a variety of driver assistance programs, to help empower the driver and enhance driver satisfaction.
Maserati Lane Keeping Assist System
The Maserati Lane Assist system is also called a Lane Keeping Assist System. Maserati's Lane Keeping Assist system uses a camera on the rear-view mirror that monitors the roadway. The Lane Keeping Assist system will send an alert with a steering wheel vibration to inform the driver they have unintentionally drifted out of the lane. The Maserati Ghibli is one of the Maserati vehicles equipped with Lane Keeping Assist.
Mercedes-Benz Lane Keeping Assist
The Mercedes-Ben lineup of vehicles has a variety of driver assistance systems, including the Lane Keeping Assist system. The Lane Keeping Assist system uses a camera to recognize lane markings. Like other systems of its kind, the system will warn you of a potential lane drift by vibrating the steering wheel of the vehicle. The Lane Keeping Assist system is available on Mercedes-Benz models such as the CLA-Class.
Nissan ProPILOT System
Nissan also utilizes the ProPILOT system to offer its drivers a driver assistance system. The ProPILOT system is designed in particular with long-distance drivers and daily commuters alike in mind. With lane assistance features, the ProPILOT system helps alert the driver of a lane drift using a front-facing camera situated behind the rear-view mirror. It is available on popular Nissan models like the Nissan Sentra.
Subaru EyeSight
Giving drivers an extra set of eyes on the road is the aim of the Subaru EyeSight Technology. Subaru is a top-rated brand for safety, and the EyeSight system has it all. Warnings for lane drifting, traffic movement, pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management, and optimized cruise control are all included when EyeSight is equipped. Enjoy the Subaru EyeSight features on new vehicles like the Subaru Impreza.
Toyota Safety Sense
Many new Toyota models have Toyota Safety Sense installed at the standard trim level, giving you a peace of mind if a new Toyota is on the menu. The Safety Sense bundle offers a wide variety of driver's assistance systems, including Lane Departure Alert. The Toyota Lane Departure Alert system is operated by a camera on the vehicle's windshield and is also available with steering wheel assist.
Volkswagen Lane Keeping Assist
Some Volkswagen models feature a Lane Keeping Assist system. Like many other systems already mentioned, the Volkswagen Lane Departure Warning System uses a camera to monitor markings on the roadway. The system will calculate the risk of an imminent lane departure and alert the driver if necessary. The Lane Keeping Assist feature is available on many popular Volkswagen models including the VW Golf.
Volvo Pilot Assist
Pilot Assist and Lane Keeping Aid are two driver assistance systems offered on some Volvo models. The Pilot Assist system acts as a combination Lane Keeping Assist and Cruise Control Assist system to monitor the vehicle's lane centering and the preset speed. It can also maintain a preset distance to the vehicle ahead. Lane assistance in Volvo vehicles is only active in speeds greater than 65mph.