Can you permanently turn off Lane Assist technology?

Lane Assist systems are now a mandatory safety requirement in Australia and in theory provide a significant benefit to road users.

They not only alert a driver should they unintentionally cross lanes, but they can physically keep a vehicle within the lines if required.

The technology most commonly features a forward-facing camera installed behind the rear vision mirror, which can detect lane markings and road signs and sends alerts if it registers lane drifting. If these audio and visual cues are ignored, some manufacturers use a system that gently tugs at the steering wheel to correct a vehicle’s course. Some even engage the brakes to slow or stop the vehicle – and there have been circumstances where said technology has overruled inappropriately.

While the benefits are obvious, a common criticism of Lane Assist systems is that the constant chimes and wheel corrections can be very intrusive to the driver – the current-gen D-MAX and Triton spring to mind – especially when combined with other driving aids. In fact, Mitsubishi only recently scaled back its overbearing Driver Monitoring tech to be less intrusive.

So can you permanently disable these at-times annoying Lane Assist systems? For new vehicles manufactured in 2024, the short answer is no.

Not only is Lane Assist an essential safety requirement for a vehicle to achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating, but it’s now mandatory in 2024 and must be fitted to all new vehicles to meet the safety requirements of the National Road Vehicle Standards (Australian Design Rule 107/00).

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There is a solution, depending on the make and model: You can adjust the sensitivity of this function, or temporarily turn off the system completely – but it’ll often reset on every ignition cycle, as will other safety functions you may have also altered or switched off during the process.

How can I configure the settings for the Lane Assist function?

In most modern vehicles, the process of deactivating Lane Assist can be performed via the settings tab within the system’s main infotainment system, or via driver’s head-up display. Here is a quick breakdown on how they can be configured on the five most-popular vehicles in Australia:

2024 Ford Ranger

• Click on the vehicle icon on the top right-hand side of the touchscreen.
• From here, select Settings, then select the Driver Assistance tab.
• Click on the Lane Keeping system, then adjust the sensitivity to alert sounds and aids.

2024 Kia Sportage

• Press and hold the menu button on the top right-hand side of the steering wheel.
• Scroll to Driver Assistance on the screen in the centre cluster.
• Hold OK Settings for a few seconds.
• On the main infotainment screen click on Lane Safety.
• Go ahead and press disable.

2024 Toyota HiLux

• There is a Lane Departure button on the steering wheel, to turn it OFF and ON.
• Another way to configure this system is to scroll to the Settings tab within the screen in the centre gauge cluster.
• Click on LDA and switch off YAW Assist or sensitivity of the LDA.

2024 Toyota RAV4

• On the left side of the steering wheel, use it to scroll to the Settings icon.
• Click on LTA by pressing OK.
• From here, click on Lane Assist ON to OFF.

2024 Hyundai Tucson

• Hold down the mute mutton for about five seconds.
• Click on Setup on the main infotainment screen.
• Click on Vehicle and that will take you to the driver assistance menu.
• Now click on Forward Collision.
• Scroll down to Lane Assist.
• Select lane assist and turn OFF.