The objective of this research was to gather and evaluate information regarding the performance standards of LDW and LCA systems and the likely costs and benefits of meeting these standards with respect to:

• Light vehicles
• Heavy goods vehicles
• Large passenger vehicles

The study considers the potential casualty savings to occupants of both the vehicle to which the equipment is fitted as well as occupants of other vehicles. The potential benefits for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists) were also considered.

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems monitor the position of the vehicle with respect to the lane boundary. When the vehicle is in danger of leaving the lane unintentionally, for example, when the driver is not paying full attention to the road ahead, the system delivers a warning to the driver. These systems do not provide any intervention to assist the vehicle to remain within the lane boundary. However, some systems supplement the warning with intervention to keep the vehicle within the lane in which it is travelling, These Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Systems are not the main focus of this report, but have been included in the literature and systems reviewed for completeness.

Lane Change Assist (LCA) systems monitor the adjacent lanes to assist drivers when changing lanes. If the driver of the vehicle fitted with the LCA system initiates a lane change maneuver and the system detects a vehicle in the adjacent lane, the system will alert the driver to the presence of the other vehicle. These systems do not currently intervene to prevent the lane change from being carried out, although this functionality is expected to be provided by future systems.

Researchers involved with this study were able to identify costs for blind spot monitoring systems. These systems provide input for LCA systems. Researchers identified that there were five blind spot monitoring systems on the market for passenger vehicles as an option. Three aftermarket systems were also available for commercial vehicles. Two of the systems were exclusive to North America and two of the systems were available in North America and Europe. They found blind spot monitoring systems to cost around £450 (€576) in Europe and $200 - $395 (€127 – €250) in North America.

At the time of the research, they found there was only one LCW system on the market for passenger vehicles, available in North America and Europe as optional equipment. The LCA system was sold as a technology package option in North America that also included LDW for $1,400 (€886) and the LCA system in Europe was available for £450 (€576).

This report, finalized in November 2008, is an assessment of research focusing on the use of technology to address vehicle safety. These findings along with the costs and benefits provide a valuable resource to those considering the implementation of advanced safety technology for vehicles.