CAR TALK: Lane departure warnings are annoying, but helpful

When I am fighting to get the car into “my lane " and not “the car’s lane,” is that extra friction wearing out my tires? Should I turn that option off to save wear and tear or is the safety aspect worth the trade?

Thank you. — Rich

Dear Rich: I’ve noticed something in my own driving. When lane departure warnings first came out, I found it really annoying.

I’d be driving along on the highway, and the test car I was driving would keep beeping at me or nudging the wheel. My first instinct was to get peeved at the car. Then I came to realize — the car was right. I was unknowingly drifting around in my lane as my attention would wane, or as I’d change the music.

So, the newer cars have taught me that my driving is not as good as I thought it was. And your car is trying to teach you the same lesson, Rich. Your idea of the center of the lane is probably not the center of the lane.

Now, most cars have setting where you can select how you want to be notified when you drift toward the edge of your lane. You can have the steering correct itself and nudge you back to the center, you can opt for an audible warning (but then all of your passengers know how badly you’re driving), or on some cars, you can have the seat vibrate. You may be more comfortable with one of those other options.

But keeping you in your lane will not put any additional wear and tear on your tires -- or your power steering pump for that matter. It’s no different than if you made regular, small corrections yourself to stay in your lane.

And the fact that it’s activating so often means that you should absolutely continue to use it. It’s making you a safer driver. I suspect you’ve been hugging one side of the lane or occasionally drifting out of it since at least 1996.

I calculate you’ll be ready for your next new car in 2056, Rich. Write back then, and I’ll tell you about the even newer safety features.

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