You Might Miss Road Signs But Your Volkswagen Won’t
It’s not always easy to note every single road sign you see on your daily drive. I often find myself wondering what the speed limit is on an unfamiliar stretch of road when I notice I’m driving 55, so I imagine that most drivers experience road sign blindness to some extent. Now, Volkswagen is rolling out a new technology called Sign Assist that will use a camera to display upcoming road signs in the center console, making it easier for drivers to take note.
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Sign Assist, which is available on select Volkswagens in the UK (and likely the rest of the world soon enough), will help drivers adhere to road signs more easily, and reduce the likelihood of them missing their exit on a crowded highway.
But the technology doesn’t just take what it sees on camera into account when displaying road signs for drivers. It combines road sign information with navigation and current vehicle data to ensure that the information it is providing is accurate. In Europe in particular, it’s not always clear when a speed limit changes, which could cause confusion for both drivers and the VW’s on-board camera. Utilizing other information makes it much less likely that a driver would be shown a 70 mph speed limit in a residential zone, where the true speed limit is likely 30 mph or less.
In addition to speed limit information, Sign Assist informs drivers about areas in which overtaking is prohibited, as well as weather conditions (like rain) that mean the driver should be travelling slower than the posted speed limit. All available information is shown in real-time to the driver on the multi-function display and on the navigation unit display.
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Sign Assist adds to the long line of modern safety features offered by automakers, such as blind spot detection, forward collision alert, automatic braking, and more.
Watch: Volkswagen Sign Assist in Action
News Source: New Atlas
Catherine Hiles (she/her) is a native Brit living and working in Dayton, Ohio. Cat has written about a variety of subjects, including finance, cars, and parenting. She is a frequent contributor to Dayton Mom Collective, The Penny Hoarder, and WDW Magazine.
Cat lives with her husband, their two kids, and their energetic pitbull mix. She counts running, lifting weights, walking, and reading among her hobbies. See more articles by Cat.