The latest new cars bring a lot of active safety technology to the table, and, to be honest, the terminology can get confusing. As we highlight 10 new cars with lane change assist systems, it’s important to understand what this technology actually does. Lane change assist technology uses sensors or cameras to monitor the perimeter of the car, and alerts the driver if a vehicle is approaching quickly from behind or is hovering in the blind spot. That way, the driver can quickly assess if it’s safe to make a lane change (although lane change assist is not intended to be a substitute for actually looking).
Lane keep assist, which is sometimes confused with lane change assist, uses cameras to find the lane markers painted on the road, and ensure the car stays between them—though the systems are often available together, they are completely different. And, to make things even more confusing, some auto manufacturers prefer the term “blind spot monitoring” to “lane change assist”—they’re basically the same thing, and will be used interchangeably throughout this list.