Attach a camera to the front of the car. A computer processes the signal, finding lane markers, road color (the center of the lane is darker due to oil), and other cars. Using that information, the computer can determine which way road is veering.

The computer doesn't steer for you, it just provides some force on the steering wheel. The feedback makes the road feel as if it were concave, like the edges of the lane were a little higher than the rest of the road. The steering wheel would naturally settle into the lane and save you the all those little corrections you make while driving. And the feedback is just slight enough to make the road feel concave - you can still overcome the feedback to turn and do whatever you like.

Indicating with the blinker would turn off the feature on the appropriate side, thus encouraging good blinker use, too!
-- eyal, Mar 18 2007

A pretty trivial modification, I'd say. http://www.citroen....GIES/SECURITY/AFIL/
[AbsintheWithoutLeave, Mar 18 2007]

I like.
-- Texticle, Mar 18 2007


It sounds good, but it might not be good for little old ladies in some cases.
-- BJS, Mar 18 2007


Does this mean I'd be able to snooze properly instead of having to keep one eye open on long motorway drives?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 19 2007


Probably not, but if you got a parasitic car you could.
-- BJS, Mar 19 2007


I think the concavity thing is way cooler than the vibrating warnings in that link. Although actual concave roads would be even better.

Combined with the aforementioned encouragement to sleep on the road, Bun!
-- Smurfsahoy, Mar 19 2007


if you look at many roads, you will see that over time, the asphalt is shaped by the car tires, creating two concave surfaces that keep the car straight.
-- yakatz, Mar 20 2007


[yakatz], in the UK at least the asphalt is shaped by _truck_ tyres. As truck tyres tend to be wider apart than car tyres (conceded that this is because our cars here are smaller than our trucks), this effectively creates a convex surface, on which the loosely controlled car tends to be very unstable.

I like this idea, although it does allow you to sleep rather than keep you awake. Another solution similar to the citroen one is used in motorways, where side lines are ridged to wake you up when you run over them...
-- TheLightsAreOnBut, Mar 20 2007


Concave roads would let older cars work, too, but then rain would gather up and turn the highway into a long water slide... One one hand it's dangerous, on the other hand it's fun and a little hydroplaning always keeps me from dozing off.
-- eyal, Jan 28 2009



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