Embracing Smarter Safety Features for Lane and Speed Alerts

Growing use of lane departure and anti-speeding systems, with drivers preferring haptic alerts, highlighting increased safety awareness and automaker success.

FREMONT, CA: Nearly 9 out of 10 drivers of cars with lane departure warning and prevention systems keep them turned on, while 7 out of 10 drivers of cars that flash a warning when they go above the speed limit likewise keep the feature turned on. These results were announced in a new study recently by a nonprofit organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, supported by the insurance sector. According to the Institute’s President David Harkey, the results indicate a growing awareness of the safety benefits of crash avoidance technologies and highlight the success of automakers in increasing usage rates.

Technology for lane departure warning and prevention systems is thought to be useful in lowering auto accidents, but it only functions when turned on. However, until recently, the technology had little effect because lane departure systems only addressed a small percentage of crashes and many drivers turned off lane departure alerts because they were bothersome, at least in the beginning.

According to the latest study, automakers have mostly resolved that issue. 87 percent of the vehicles analyzed had lane departure warning and prevention systems turned on, compared to 51 percent in a 2017 study titled "Drivers' use of front crash prevention, lane departure warning and prevention and speed warning systems."

As more features are now engaged and deactivated via the in-vehicle settings menu rather than physical buttons, as was previously the case, there is a greater use of in-vehicle systems. Higher activation rates and increased acceptance of these systems have also been attributed to a move away from audio signals, which drivers frequently find bothersome and toward haptic alerts, such vibrations in the seat or steering wheel. According to a recent study, activation rates for the two automakers that currently rely on visual and auditory alerts are significantly lower than those of the other four automakers, which either mainly used haptic alerts or let drivers select their preferred alert method. The new designs, according to the researchers, are less annoying for drivers and more difficult to disable.

High activation rates for visual anti-speeding alerts are a feature of Intelligent Speed Assistance. Cars with ISA systems, uses a GPS with a speed limit database, a camera to scan posted signs or both to determine the speed limit on the road when the car is on.

As speeding is the contributing factor in more than 25 percent of the U.S fatalities, the European Union now demands that all new cars have ISA systems, which must have haptic or cascading audio warnings in addition to at least visual alarms.