Recently, Ford Motor Co. announced its plans to introduce "lane-keeping technology" in at least two of its vehicles' 2013 models. With the goal of preventing car accidents caused by drowsy driving, these systems will reportedly use cameras and in-vehicle notifications to alert drivers and passengers of potentially harmful behavior.

The Ford technology, named the "Lane Keeping System," relies on a camera that is mounted to the vehicle's rear-view mirror. When the system is turned on and the car is driving more than 40 miles per hour, the camera will use the lane markings to determine whether the vehicle is drifting toward one side of the lane or the other.

If it senses that the car is veering to either side, and if the turn signal is not on, the steering wheel will vibrate. If the driver does not correct the car's direction, the power steering will engage and steer the vehicle back toward the center of the lane.

While this idea is fine in theory, even Ford executives are admitting that it isn't perfect. It doesn't always work on curvy roads or in heavy rain, for example.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to recommend lane-assist technology to the public, stating that additional research and evaluation is needed first.

Ford is not the first company to introduce drowsy driving prevention systems. Toyota, Lexus, and Mercedes all have similar technology in their vehicles, with differences in the names, functions, and alerts. But the goal is the same: to prevent car accident injuries and fatalities. We will have to wait and see if these technologies become more reliable and more mainstream in the coming years.

Source: New York Times, "Trying to Nudge Drowsy Drivers," Randall Stross, Jan. 21, 2012