Some components of a driverless car are continuing to be marketed by automakers. During December 2011, the Ford Motor Company made an announcement about offering "lane-keeping technology" to consumers for their 2013 Ford Explorer and Ford Fusion. There are no prices announced yet, but hopes are high that the technology will cut down on accidents.

For those of us who drive Charleston's roads after a long day, Ford has another technology-related answer. The "Driver Alert System" will warn drivers if weaving associated with drowsiness occurs.

All of this technology saves lives when it works -- but only certain road conditions work with the lane-keeping system. This, in addition to other reasons, causes doubts as to whether the system will activate when it should.

A camera mounted on the rear-view mirror is what Ford's technology relies on. The vehicle must be traveling more than 40 miles per hour, and the system must be switched on. The camera uses the road's lane markings to determine if veering or weaving is occurring. Unless the turn signal is turned on, the system believes this swerving is unintentional; the steering wheel will vibrate to warn the driver.

The software is supposed to make the power steering bring the car back toward the center of the lane if the driver doesn't correct the drift.

The markings in the lanes are difficult for the camera to see, though, during heavy precipitation and when the sun is at a low angle. The camera remains dormant if it cannot detect the markings.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration isn't on board quite yet. The deputy administrator states the NHTSA believes more research and additional evaluation are needed for lane-keeping systems before it can advise the public.

Source: New York Times, "Trying to Nudge Drowsy Drivers," Randall Stross, Jan. 21, 2012