http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/report/lane-departure-warning-systems.htm
This technology is interesting and a hard sell. We have had one on our truck for a couple of years and it is still a pain at times.... The problem is when it is a pain is when you are not staying in your lane of traffic. We have been lucky enough with FedEx Custom Critical to be able to beta test different items and this one really changed our driving habits.
We had the LDWS installed in California and it was not a quick process as we were the first straight truck they had installed the unit on. The LDWS is a small camera and is mounted on the windshield with our other passes. The LDWS is a awesome little unit as it is constantly watching the lines and as you get any one of your tires on the white line you get an electronic rumble strip noise. We have a small speaker mounted on both side of the truck about shoulder high and as you start towards the white line on the passenger side that speaker goes off and the same happens on the drivers side. It is a very obnoxious sound! If you are a tractor trailer the camera is set up for that combination.
We immediately found that when we reach for anything we had a tendency to steer in that direction. Before we realize we are getting tired we have found we wobble around in our lane setting off the LDWS and we know it is time to take a break and walk around. Since we have had the system neither one of us have run over anymore "real" rumble strips as you just do not get that far out of your lane. Another benefit we quickly found was the system is great while driving in road construction as it will let you know if you get close to the lines. You can shut the system off with a toggle switch for 15 minutes at a time which is helpful when you are on really twisty turny lanes. The system also does not work below 37 mph.
We really enjoy getting to test new ideas and products and giving our feedback. We can see the benefits of this unit but it is hard to convince other drivers but sure not the safety department at a carrier.
Gregarious Birds Of The Desert Southwest
1 week ago
this sounds pretty interesting...i'd never heard of it....does it go off everytime that you pass someone too???...not that i have to worry about that much....lol.....and what does it do about the dotted lines at ramps??....
ReplyDeleteBrad it reads dotted lines and it reads the road really well in rain. Well it does not go off when passing anyone unless you get into their lane. We drive so slow we very seldom pass anyone. Top speed of 57/58 or our fuel mileage goes downhill fast.
ReplyDeleteHey there Team Caffee! Well, I have a convection microwave in the truck, so it does pretty much everything....and a cake baking while you're sitting waiting to get loaded smells pretty damn good!
ReplyDeleteThis post will tell you more about the truck:
http://bellavenere.blogspot.com/2009/01/if-only-i-could-fit-all-this.html
I'm loving all the things I can do in my kitchen now! What a treat.