• A TR Group Site
  • Help
  • Cart
Driving Tests DT logo small
Driving tests
  • Learner licence
    • Car
    • Motorbike
    • Heavy vehicle
    • Learner Licence Plus
  • Courses
  • Tourist
  • Resources
  • Learn
  • Resources
  • Learner licence
    • Car
    • Motorbike
    • Heavy Vehicle
    • Learner Licence Plus
  • Your courses
    • Enrolled courses
  • View all courses
  • Tourist
  • Resources home
  • iOS application
  • Android application
  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Home
  • /
  • Resources
  • /
  • Advice
  • / Technology to keep you driving in your lane: lane departure warning & lane keep assist

Technology to keep you driving in your lane: lane departure warning & lane keep assist

Distractions and inattention can cause your vehicle to drift out of its lane. In the worst case scenario this can cause you to hit another vehicle head-on. Lane departure warning systems are a suit of technology that warns drivers if they drift out of their lane and (in some cases) takes minor corrective action.

These systems monitor the lines on the roads using cameras. If your car drifts they will do one or more of:

  1. Make a sound (usually either a beep or a low rumble)
  2. Give a visual warning (usually a flashing light on the dashboard, like the image below)
  3. Vibrate the steering wheel (simulating how a rumble strip feels to drive over)
  4. Apply slight steering to the steering wheel to keep you in the lane.

A standard lane departure warning light on the dashboard

Lane keep assist light on a Honda

You can turn the system off using a button similar to the one on the bottom right.

Buttons for traction control, tyre pressure, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning

Advanced lane keep systems, when combined with radar cruise control, are a low-level autonomous driving system that can cope with motorway driving. The cruise control will slow the vehicle down if you catch up with traffic, and motorways tend not to have sharp turns that would unsettle lane departure systems when they are trying to keep you in the lane.

Names for lane departure systems

While the generic term is lane departure warning, different manufacturers call their systems different names, for example:

  • Lane Keeping Assist (Lexus)
  • Lane Keep Assist (Toyota)
  • Lane Departure Warning System (Citroen)

More and more vehicles are available with these types of systems which were once the preserve of luxury vehicles.

When don’t lane departure systems work?

Lane departure systems don’t operate when your indicator is on. They can get confused on city streets where there are a lot of lines.

As they rely on visually seeing the lines they don’t work on unlaned roads, gravel roads, where the lane lines have been burned off or worn off, in low light conditions (e.g. night-time with heavy rain), if the camera or sensor is dirty and if the lines are covered by snow.

There are no lines on this gravel road, therefore nothing for lane departure warning systems to monitor

Wet roads with glare can confuse lane departure systems

Unusual road markings such as cross hatching, can confuse them

Where the road lines are obscured, lane departure warnings won’t work

driver training courses
By Darren Cottingham

Darren has written over 3000 articles about driving and vehicles, plus almost 500 vehicle reviews and numerous driving courses. Connect with him on LinkedIn by clicking the name above

‹ Can you drive with dementia?
What is the social cost of a car crash? ›
Tagged with: lane markings, technology | Posted in Advice
  • DisqusDisqus
Recent Resources
  • The Rural Technician’s Guide to Tyre Selection
  • Essential 4WD Recovery Equipment for Rural Professionals
  • Fuel Efficiency Techniques for Remote Site Access in Off-Road Vehicles
  • How do you operate an excavator safely in the rain?
  • The Impact of Weather Conditions on Safe EWP Operation
  • Acoustic Emission Testing for Fibreglass Booms: Why It Matters
  • The Evolution of Gantry Cranes in Modern Manufacturing
  • Understanding Load Capacity and Weight Distribution on EWPs
  • How do you efficiently dig a trench? Tips from the pros
  • How to Choose the Right EWP for Your Project: A Comprehensive Guide

Licences and Courses

  • Car
  • Motorbike
  • Heavy Vehicles
Car
  • Core
  • Behaviour
  • Parking
  • Emergencies
  • Road position
  • Intersection
  • Theory
  • Signs
Motorbike
  • Bike-specific questions
  • Core
  • Behaviour
  • Parking
  • Emergencies
  • Road position
  • Intersection
  • Theory
  • Signs
Heavy Vehicles
  • Class 2
  • Class 3-5
  • Core
  • Behaviour
  • Parking
  • Emergencies
  • Road position
  • Intersection
  • Theory
  • Signs

Vehicle and workplace training

  • About
  • Resources
DT Driver Training TR Group
About
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Resources
  • Homepage
  • Driving Tests Android App
  • Driving Tests iPhone App
  • Getting your learner licence
DT Driver Training TR Group
Copyright 2010-2025 DT Driver Training Ltd, PO Box 12541, Penrose, Auckland, 1642. All rights reserved. Questions and images are used with permission from NZTA; question answers are proprietary.