Lane Departure Warning
 

Thinking of getting this option for my next order... Seeking for commentary from those of you who got it (heard some rumors about too many false positive warnings) - please share if you like it or not.

I drive a lot, and found myself more than once almost falling asleep at some point, so hoping this will help to some extent.

Thx

God forbid, if you fall asleep behind the wheel, no departure warning is going to save you... if you are looking for that option to keep you awake, i don't think there is anything manmade that can overpower the might of the god Hypnosys...

try to mitigate this issue with something else, a partner in the car to talk to, good night sleep, a phone conversation with somebody while driving (handsfree)... none of these is foolproof...

It depends. People get distracted, and I also think this system will encourage me to use turn signal when changing lanes (there are rare moments when well we get lazy) just to avoid wheel shaking :)

Once every couple of months i am jolted back to reality when car hits rough pavement on highway shoulders... A chiling moment, and LDW will be complimentary to that.

Again, looking for feedback from people who actually have it, as I know on Mercedes it causes too many false positives, thus frequently turned off.

I've driven 700k-1,000,000 miles...never had an accident due to leaving my lane.

I've driven a bit in an MB with it, and it is a total PITA. Constantly alerting.

I cannot tell you how annoying the Mercedes commercials are with the people blathering on about 'safety'... pudgy, educated, successful twits who seek to convince you that paying anything to be incrementally safer is worth it.

Oh, and then there is this:

IIHS study: Lane departure systems seem ineffective

The data shows lane departure warning systems have HIGHER incidents of accidents.

Maybe take a professional driving course- not track based, but maybe geared towards truckers? I spent a lot of time driving with an uncle who was a trucker...interesting tips that I remember to this day.

A

I'm with ard...
Not at the OP, but generally if one is that unskilled, inattentive or distracted maybe a rethink on current driving methods is needed.
GL, mD

Ard, thanks to the reference to the IIHS.

Coffee.

Toes...

As a frequent long distant driver, I can tell you that there are times when I feel sleep over-coming me. The only solution I have found is to stay awake long enough to get off the road.

Believe it or not, it is almost impossible to fall asleep while wiggling your (my) toes, so I use that method while hunting for a rest stop. Then after half an hour of sleep and some coffee, I am sufficiently refreshed and back on the road. IMO, if you are waiting for the car to tell you you are asleep, it is too late.

Thanks all, very interesting points of view. What I found interesting is that nevertheless BMW has spent on R&D to build and productionize this technology, so unless this just selling a hype, there must be some valid reason for it.

Anyway, I am not getting it. Will be wiggling my toes on the way home instead ;)

We ordered LDW on my wife's 5 series because she has a tendency to pull the wheel left at times when looking right or reaching to adjust the I-drive. This is due to spinal surgery, which has caused some nerve damage, And also made it difficult to rotate her neck around far enough to fully check her blind spot. There have been a few times when the LDW has avoided a close call, but for most people, the benefit is dubious. I keep mine switched off, and just don't drive fatigued.

On the other hand, the blind spot assist has kept us from cutting people off on numerous occasions. Sometimes you can't see another car in or entering your blind spot no matter how careful you are. In my opinion, this option is a lot more useful.