In this week's post, we are going to talk about another system that aids drivers in changing lanes, or in this case not changing lanes. Lane departure systems prevent the car from leaving its lane. Situations like these arise typically from driver inattention, drowsiness, or distraction. Poor weather could also result in a vehicle leaving its lane. A car leaving its lane can cause deadly accidents, especially if it happens on a highway without a divider (a high speed head on collision isn't good). To correct this, the system uses a camera that monitors the vehicle's position in the lane. If the computer determines the cars path leads to it departing the lane, it alerts the driver. In more advanced systems, if the driver does not properly fix the cars path, the system can steer the wheel back to the correct position.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 40-60% of automobile accidents in the US are a result of cars running of the road or leaving their lane. While these are common on many newer cars, most of the older cars do not have any such systems. However, there is a remedy for this. There are systems that can be added on to older cars. These systems can be as advanced as adding a camera or as simple as downloading an app on your smartphone. Next week we will discuss another system, one of the newest, that monitors the cars position, not relative to the lane lines, but to the car ahead of the driver.
Have these systems been tested? Do they accidentally overcompensate sometimes?
ReplyDeleteThese systems have been tested and work exactly as they should.
DeleteThat is really cool! If this technology is refined, could it maybe replace the rough streaks of asphalt the make ear-grating noises when you accidentally leave your lane a bit? haha
ReplyDeleteThose are mostly used in interstate roads, where people are most likely to fall asleep, but they are by no means perfect.
Those things are pretty annoying. If these systems were on every single car on the road, there would be no need for the bumpy roads. But that won't happen for a few decades, so I think the rough asphalt will be here a while.
DeleteThese kinds of programs seem on face that they would save a lot of lives and accidents, but I get the impression that they may lead to more, maybe. For instance, if we can safer drive while distracted or drowsy or whatever, then perhaps more people will drive inattentive. Is there any data or analysis on that perspective?
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good point. People do get complacent when they do not have to do much work. The best systems available on cars today can pretty much drive the car without driver input on the highway, where it is essentially straight and the same speed. Off of the highway, where there is more frequent stopping and turning, the driver still needs to control the vehicle. For now, these systems cannot do everything, so a driver still must pay attention and do some actions. I don't know of any data on this situation.
ReplyDeleteHow effective all these lane maintenance systems on curved roads? It seems like this would be a great solution for straight roads, but would the system be as effective on a winding or undulating road?
ReplyDeleteLane departure warning and lane keep assist systems are designed specifically for the highway. Many of them require the driver to keep their hands on the wheel. These systems are, for now, intended for minor adjustments in steering to keep the car in the center of the lane. So winding roads still require the driver to actually drive the car. There are other issues with the systems. For these systems to work properly, the camera needs to have a clear view of the road and defined lane markings. On roads where the lane lines are fading, or there are other markings on the road, from road work for example, the system can get confused. Drivers are not yet able to slack off and are still required to drive. Although, according to Elon Musk, there could be a future where all the systems work so well it will be illegal for some one to drive a car because of the safety risks.
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