Tesla has started distributing two new safety features to keep the car in the correct lane. The update is primarily intended for owners of a Tesla without the Autopilot function that allows the car to partially drive independently.
According to Tesla, unintentional lane departure is a common cause of accidents when the Autopilot feature is not turned on or is simply missing. Two new features, Lane Departure Avoidance and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance, should help the driver to stay in the correct lane.
Lane Departure Avoidance ensures that the car automatically adjusts if the driver unintentionally deviates from his lane. When the function is enabled and the driver leaves the lane without having activated their turn signal, Lane Departure Avoidance also checks whether the driver has their hands on the wheel. If not, a series of warnings will follow that are similar to the reports of a Tesla with Autopilot. If the hands are still not detected after that, the car will slow down to about 25 km/h below the speed limit and the four flashing lights are switched on. Drivers can turn the feature on and off at will.
Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance goes one step further. This function automatically returns the car to the correct lane if the Tesla sensors detect a collision when leaving the lane. The same happens when the car gets too close to the side of the road. This function is activated by default on every journey, but can be switched off during the journey if desired.
Photo: Tesla