NEW YORK, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 200,000 car crashes a year happen due to automobiles leaving their lanes. Now, two new safety technologies could serve as an extra set of "eyes" for drivers and help them avoid a collision caused by an inadvertent lane change or by colliding with a vehicle in the side blind spot while changing lanes.
(See video from General Motors at:
http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=33336 )
The lane departure system uses a camera located between the inside rearview mirror and the windshield to detect lane markings on the road and alert drivers when they inadvertently stray from the lane. The system does not steer the vehicle; it is designed only to alert drivers so they can take appropriate action to move the vehicle back into the lane.
The side blind zone system uses radar sensors behind the rear fascia on both sides of the vehicle. It is designed to help drivers avoid lane-change crashes with vehicles in the side blind zone.
The new technologies will be available on all 2008 Buick Lucerne sedan models this summer.
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