The line taken by the car and the driver’s activities are monitored at the same time. Only very specific movements indicate that the vehicle has left the detected lane unintentionally. Unlike conventional systems of this kind, the Mercedes system can reliably ascertain whether the car is leaving its lane intentionally or not. Only then does Lane Keeping Assist intervene: in cars by making the steering wheel vibrate to make the driver aware of the situation. There is therefore no warning if the driver e.g. accelerates before overtaking or joining a motorway, brakes heavily or enters a bend.

The Lane Assistant for buses shows just how intelligent and sophisticated Daimler’s safety systems are. Here, too, a camera in the windscreen monitors the vehicle to make sure it maintains the correct course in its lane. The main point of concern for the bus developers was coming up with a suitable form of warning for the driver. An audible warning of the kind used in trucks was out of the question as this would inevitably unsettle the passengers. The solution: two vibration motors integrated in the driver’s seat cushion, which make the driver aware of the situation when the vehicle crosses the detected lane markings unintentionally, also indicating on which side of the lane this has occurred. The system, which can be deactivated, is activated at speeds about 70 km/h, in other words on longer-distance routes. As soon as the driver indicates, the system is deactivated automatically.