Is Lane Keep Assist ready for prime time and worth the upgrade?

I haven't tried to drive without hands, but I have felt the steering kick in and steer me back. It sure isn't like the Tesla or some Acuras and Hondas. It works well though

 

I wonder about lane assist and what technology it is using. There are a number of places on the highway here in Central Ohio where the striping on the road does not follow the joints in the paving. Depending on which it follows, the car could become very confused and end up alarming in one or the other lane!

 

Yes, here in CT (the Construction State!) they are fond of shifting lanes for construction and leaving the old lane striping in place, perhaps for when the lanes are shifted back when the work is complete (whenever that is).

 

Every idiot proof technology has seen the evolution of better idiots. <grins> So I'm reminded of 'seat belts kill' urban legends (and these two Darwin winners.)

These technologies are new thanks to more affordable sensors and microprocessors. Over time, they will get better as a recent article about Ford testing a system in snow:
Ford Conducts Industry-First Snow Tests of Autonomous Vehicles -- Further Accelerating Development Program | Ford Media Center

Other than death and taxes, there are few guarantees in life. But we can 'weight the dice' and learn how to master the technology. Just never let perfect be the enemy of 'good enough'.

Bob Wilson

 

So how would LKA be improved so that it could deal with a white lane line that leads straight into a concrete barrier? Or necessary, given that we have a human brain that can handle the problem quite nicely if it is not occupied in doing something less important like texting?

If one accepts Darwinism, one should also accept that (a) natural selection acted over many many years, and (b) many deaths resulted from "wrong turns" in the process. It may be unrealistic to hope that evolution in technology will be more rapid and less deadly. I have a book about test pilots' experiences that is thought-provoking.

 

Evolution.

Bob Wilson

 

"Self-driving cars" are the ultimate goal. Lane assist is just a tentative first step made necessary by those who just can't resist touching their smart phones while driving. (Darwin in action...)

BTW, "Self driving cars" are a pipe dream as long as there is even one jacked-up coal-rolling Ram pickup roaming the roads. You think Prius harassment is bad? Just wait until they get to mess with someone's self-driving jelly-bean-on-wheels!

 

Now what I'd like to see is a self-driving police pursuit vehicle, wouldn't that be entertaining on those TV police chase video programs, perp jumps out of the vehicle and legs it on foot, car follows and tasers him, yay !
Personally I'm all for these safety features and use them fully without hesitation. But I do think if the feature is a personal safety item like seatbelts and crash helmets, they should be optional. Other items that may injure third parties or property should be compulsory.

 

It happens here too. I got used to it, but it scared me at first because the car steered itself.

 

I've driven my new Prius for one full day now (whoopee!) and feel that LKA is a hit or miss... It did rain in LA this evening (gasp!) so I'm not sure if that affected the performance, but generally I felt that it doesn't do THAT great of a job... And definitely doesn't keep your car straight enough as autopilot. I've driven the Model S with autopilot and the LKA is far from it, even combined with DRCC

 

rain does not help, but LKA is never supposed to be like tesla's pilot to start with... it is supposed to nudge you when you dont pay attention.

 

It's only supposed to be a "safety cushion" from the lane next to you. It isn't supposed to steer itself constantly

 

I wonder why they decided to remove LKA and made it into a LDA w/ SA only? I'm assuming it's practically the same hardware, but just different programming?

 

Probably because their LKA sucked and got lots of complaints. Constant beeping when it lost and regained the lane markers. Weird feeling handling. Gave nudges but couldn't really keep it in the lane, so it was more trouble than it was worth.

 

[QUOTE="Tideland Prius, post: 2325524, member: 2851" (the least like was DRCC).[/QUOTE]
Really? I love DRCC and the PCS it makes possible.

 

I have been discussing the steering assist with Toyota corporate for a couple of months now. They advertise, promote, and sell LDA/SA as the same product on all Toyota models. Lane Departure Alert w/ Steering Assist. If you drive any other Toyota models except the Prius the LDA/SA works just fine as a matter of fact it works the same as it does on any other car that I've driven equipped like this. By that I mean the car will keep you in the lane of travel if you pay less attention than you should. In the Prius Prime Advanced it doesn't assist much at all. It definitely sets off the Lane Departure Alert warning so the electronics are aware that you are approaching the edge of the lane, but the steering assist doesn't move the car back into its travel lane. I tested this with my dealer service manager and he agrees. We also tested a Rav4 equipped the same way and lo and behold it worked as it should. Why would Toyota offer a safety feature that does not function consistently across all their models but they promote it as the same functionality on all models. This is definitely a safety concern.

So to answer your question no it is not ready for prime time or any other time! By the way we are long term Toyota owners and this is the first major faux pas we have ever seen with Toyota and they deny it exists.