I have these aids in a Hyundai.

1. The lane keeping system is good, but it does require clear road markings and will keep the car in lane or bleep if you cross the centre line without indicating. It also tightens up the steering and tries to recentre the car in the lane and you veer over towards the centre line without indicating but it is easy to overcome, which you would want for an emergency manouvre.

2. Blind spot detection. Superb. Saved a motorcyclists life. Checked my rear view mirrors and looked over my shoulder before indicating. Saw nothing. Motorcycle was in my blind spot. Little light on wing mirror was lit up showing something there. Looked so I didn't move over and the motorcycle passed me. If you indicate with something behind you it bleeps a warning. Its speed sensitive, so it warns you earlier if an approaching vehicle is much faster.

3. Cross traffic. Nightmare of a carpark, couldn't see to reverse out so did so gingerly. Cross traffic alerted me to a crossing vehicle and which side it was approaching from.

4. Automatic breaking. Saved me from a crash. I didn't think it worked tbh. It often bleeped when detecting cars slowing down quickly and turning off but never stopped the car. Then when I was on a motorway roundabout a car pulled on to the roundabout doing about 80 without stopping. I had just come off the throttle and was going for the brake but the system seriously beat me to it stopping the car dead. I really think there would have been a crash otherwise.

So thumbs up from me really. BTW all were standard equipment in the grade of car i chose and it made the insurance cheaper than the next model down that didn't have these features.

Edited by James2018 on 24/08/2018 at 23:29

But I wouldn't want such systems yet. Particularly anything dependent on road markings, which are virtually worn away on so many UK roads.

One of our cars has lane departure warning and on a stretch of roadworks it was picking up the lines that had been blacked out.