Technology has come a long since the invention of the motor vehicle. We've seen developments all across the board but none have as important as the safety features that have been developed to help keep you safe. From the inertia reel seatbelt to collision avoidance systems, all of these help counter the increasing number of vehicles on our roads and the likelihood of being involved in an accident.
Related: What is lane-keeping assist?
Driver assistance systems vary from semi-autonomous driving to emergency brake assist. One such feature is Traffic Sign Recognition. You may have read about it in reviews for new cars but the technology has been around for some time.
What is Traffic Sign Recognition?
Traffic Sign Recognition is an assistance system that uses the forward-facing camera in certain cars to identify road signs and then display this information on the dashboard or heads-up display. Character and shape recognition software will identify what type of sign is posted as well as the symbols visible. This can range from posted speed limits, cancellation of speed restrictions, certain direction instructions (such as curve ahead), or even identifying roadworks or pedestrian crossings.
Having this information displayed has the benefit of being accessible should the driver miss the posted road sign. This is particularly handy when speed limits change on freeways. The information is displayed until a new, identifiable sign is recognised. The symbol is usually a colour image of the sign, helping you quickly identify what kind of sign has been recognised.
Traffic sign recognition is a feature on many luxury cars including BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo to name a few.
