Lane-Keeping Assist

Lane-keeping assist watches the road markings through a camera and acts if the car starts drifting out of its lane without you indicating. Depending on the system, it either gently steers the car back toward the centre or nudges the wheel and warns you to correct.

It is built to catch lapses — a moment of distraction, the slow drift of tiredness on a long, straight road. It is closely related to lane-departure warning, which only alerts you; lane-keeping assist goes a step further and helps with the steering.

It is an assistant, not a driver. It expects your hands on the wheel and your attention on the road; if you take your hands off, it warns you and eventually disengages. It also leans on clear lane markings, so faded or missing lines can switch it off.

On a long Moroccan motorway it is a useful backstop against tiredness. The first time it tugs the wheel can feel odd, so it is good to know it is there; if you find its corrections intrusive on a particular road, it can usually be switched off.