Lane Departure Warning System

Introduction

You can buy the best car in the world, but driving it safely depends on

A. how much of a skilled driver you are, and

B. how advanced your car technologies are. The former comes from experience, but who’s stopping you from exploring the latter?

No one can predict an accident, but a good LDW system can alert you before your car crashes into another vehicle. This brings us to our topic of the day: What is the Lane Departure Warning System, and how it works as a savior in a life-threatening situation!

Let’s explore each and everything about LDW, its working, different variations, warning options, factors to look for in a good LDW system, and much more!

What is Lane Departure Warning System?

Simply stated, LDW is an alerting mechanism installed in your car to deeply monitor your vehicle’s movements on the road and quickly warn if the tires touch a marked lane. The system uses a flashing indicator, beep, or vibrate to ensure you stay in the lane and not drift, thus don’t collide with other vehicles.

Lane Departure Warning System is the most effective in keeping the car safe from accidents on roads and highways full of traffic. In incidents caused by driving blunders, fatigue, and distractions, the advanced versions of LDW also respond to lane drifting by steering away from the lane limit.

How Does LDW Work?

There is no complex science behind it. The working of Lane Departure Warning System includes a camera mounted on the windshield to track the car movements. Commonly, the camera is placed in the rear-view mirror to capture the speeding car up to 150 feet ahead. The digital imaging then is then processed and interpreted to identify the marked lane, whether straight or dashed. 

As soon as the car drifts, or gets near the lane markers, or crosses it, you’ll be alerted by a visible alarm along with an audio sound. Some systems also make you feel a mild vibration in your driver’s car seat to alert beforehand. However, nothing will happen if you drift while keeping the turn signal on, as the system will note the movement as intentional.

Lane System Variations

Now that you have understood Lane Departure Warning System, the following are different variations of the lane safety system, each with something better to offer.

1.    Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

This is the most basic package that you can install in your vehicle to get visible, audible, or vibrational alerts as soon as your car drifts, touches, or crosses a marked lane. 

2.    Lane Keep Assist (LKA)

A progressed version of LDA, Lane Keep Assist, and sending visible, audible, or vibrational alerts, also causes the vehicle to steer clear of the marked lanes.

3.    Lane Centring Assist (LCA)

Lane centering Assist is the most advanced version ensuring your car stays in the middle of the lane. The system’s sensitive sensors recognize the touch on the steering wheel and, in times of trouble, automatically steer or brake the vehicle to keep it centered in the lane.

Why is LCA better than LDW or LKA?

Though all the three terms – LDW, LKA, LCA – are different, the latter two are often quoted under the general expression of the Lane Departure Warning System. Yet the best lane safety system you can consider is Lane Centering Assist as it offers not only the alerting but also the action.

LDW gives just the warning, and you have to take appropriate action all by yourself. As for LKA, even if it steers away from the car from the marked lane, you are expected to re-centre it on your own. While LKA just takes the situation into its hands and saves both the car and passengers by automatically taking the right action.

What to Look in an LDW System?

Whether you go for LDW, LKA, or LCA, these are the factors you should not forget:

• Audible alerts: The tone used should be distracting as otherwise, it is more likely you won’t recognize the warning.
• Visible alerts: A visual caution shouldn’t be out of view because it can cause you to shift your eyes, resulting in more danger.
• Alert timings: You can dig into the settings and decide how sooner or later you should receive a warning. But make sure it’s not too late, especially if your lane safety system is LDW or LKA.
• Driving relief: Always look for a lane safety system that gives more comfort than ruining your driving experience by abruptly alerting every now and then.
• System options: Always go for the best system configurations such as haptic feedback warning, road departure mitigation, etc.

What can Limit a Lane Departure Alert System’s Functionality?

An LDW system can limit accidents, but certain factors such as climatic conditions can also limit the working of the lane departure warning system. Since the primary stimulus behind the effective working of an LDW, LKA, or LCA is the lane marking, any damage to the straight or dashed marks, or their complete or partial obscurity by dirt, debris, fog, snow, or moisture can affect the digital reading of lanes. This can result in irregular or blunt warnings or no alerts at all. Lane Centring Assist also gets into problems with roads having sharp curves.

What Can You do?

Beware of your surroundings, and turn the system off if you notice any road construction or climatic elements covering the road, such as snow. Also, stay focused and rely on your own to enjoy a safe driving experience.

Bottom Line

No matter where you live or what car you own, LDW is always a good approach to keep both you and your vehicle safe. There are three-lane safety systems from which you can choose Lane Departure Warning System, Lane Keep Assist, and Lane Centering Assist.

It is equally important to keep a close eye on your surroundings and climatic elements such as debris, snow, leaves, or moisture that can affect the camera’s functionality!