Color within the lines

The lane support prevents your car from unexpectedly leaving the lane at a moment when you are distracted. This is safe for you and for other drivers.

Mark Maaskant of the Road Safety Lab explains how the lane system works: “You can sometimes be distracted while driving, for example by the children in the back seat. And then it can happen that you stay within the lines a little less accurately. A lane assistant in your car watches over and then helps.” It is important to know whether your car has a warning system or an assistance system. Or, in the language of many car manufacturers, whether you have a Lane Departure Warning or a Lane Keeping Assist. The first gives a sound signal when you go outside the lines, the second intervenes in the steering of your car.

Another ADAS component in this category is the blind spot warning. “It will let you know if you want to change lanes and there is another road user in your blind spot,” says Mark Maaskant. “A warning light will then go on or a sound signal will sound. Or the system intervenes in the steering wheel to warn you.”

intervene

Henk van Hoef of Bosch Car Service explains which components the system consists of. “Sensors near the interior mirror, together with, for example, cameras in your exterior mirror, make up the system. Thanks to intelligent software, the car can recognize the white lines on the road surface.” When the car crosses those lines, the passive system issues a warning, and the active system intervenes via the power steering module. It is also important for this system that the sensors and cameras are clean. So wash your car regularly!

Watch episode 2 of the mini-series below

Or have your safety systems checked at a Bosch Car Service branch near you.