Lane-keeping technology corrects the path of a vehicle that drifts out of lane. Commercially, the technology is relatively new and it may help reduce the number of car accidents caused by fatigue or other inattentiveness in the Winston-Salem area and elsewhere. But, the reliability of the system and the new temptations the technology may create present hurdles for its success.

Last month, Ford announced the offering of its "lane-keeping technology" for two of its 2013 models. Ford's system uses a camera mounted on the rear-view mirror to analyze whether the driver of the vehicle stays within the lane markings on the road. The camera measures whether the driver drifts outside of the lane markings, and if a driver travels outside of the lines, the system engages the power steering to return the vehicle to the lane. Other car companies offer similar systems.

While the technology offers the chance to reduce driver error, the director of the Center of Automotive Research at Stanford challenges the assertion. If the system is successful, the director believes the technology could lead to a risk accommodation issue where the behavior of drivers behind the wheel may become more dangerous because of the safety blanket the system provides. In short, the new risky behavior could offset the benefits of the system.

To be successful, the kinks in the system must also be worked out. If the lane-keeping technology does not recognize the markings on the road, it cannot assist the driver behind the wheel. Unfortunately, the lane-keeping system has trouble identifying road markings in some conditions. The system has problems identifying lane marks on curves, during heavy rainfall and when the sun reflects on the markings at a low angle.

Improvements in the technology are likely to follow, but when the technology becomes commonplace, a new issues may present itself: whether the system or the driver is liable for an accident.

Source: The New York Times, "Trying to nudge drowsy drivers," Randall Stross, Jan. 21, 2012