If you’ve ever gotten sleepy behind the wheel, you would know how dangerous it can be. Well, the folks over at Ford have come up with a solution (even though the best solution is to just don’t drive when you’re sleepy) that aims to prevent sleepy drivers from getting into accidents. Called the Lane Keeping System, it continually monitors the vehicle’s lane position and will notify a driver if it detects inattentiveness with a coffee cup warning light on the dashboard.In addition to the warning light, the system produces a warning chime and vibrates the steering wheel in case the driver doesn’t notice it. The system also applies torque at the steering wheel to direct the vehicle back into the lane. They Lane Keeping System makes use of a small forward-facing camera mounted on the windshield behind the rearview mirror which monitors the lane markings on the sides of the vehicle in order to judge where it should be (I wonder how it will work on roads without any markings).
Ford’s Lane Keeping System will be introduced in early 2012 on the new Ford Explorer. Find out more about the system by watching the video demonstration: