A GPS navigation system allows you to focus on driving, rather than looking at maps. Some of the top GPS navigation system companies offer a standard Lane Assist feature in some of their units. Lane Assist tells you which lane to drive in before you have to exit, merge or make a turn. It is less likely you will miss an exit or street that is on the opposite side of the road when using a GPS navigation system with Lane Assist. Different companies use different names for their Lane Assist features.
As of November 2010, Garmin has 29 GPS navigation devices that come with the Lane Assist feature. Some models include the nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3790T, nuLink 1695 and nuvi 1350. Garmin Lane Assist displays intersections, forks in the road and vibrant-colored arrows that point to the correct lane.
The Lane Assistant in TomTom's Advanced Land Guidance system illustrates which lane you will need to be in within a certain number of miles. An arrow highlights the lane you should stay in, while shaded-colored arrows denote the lanes to avoid. Some TomTom models with the Advance Guidance feature include the GO 2505 TM, GO 2405 TM and XXL 540 WTE Series.
Magellan produces some GPS navigation systems with a highway lane assist feature. These units display the number of lanes, guide you with an arrow in the direction of the road, and show you the correct lane well in advance of your your next turn. The highway assistance feature comes in 24 of the company's navigation systems as of November 2010, including the Magellan RoadMate 1700, RoadMate 1700-MU and Magellan RoadMate 5045-MU.
Cobra offers a 3D view of approaching roads, highways and crossroads. The navigation system advises you before you need to change lanes via displayed arrows on the screen. The Lane Assist feature comes standard on the 7750 Platinum Seven-Inch Professional Driver Navigation unit.
Alpine manufacturers a navigation system with a lane assistance feature called GuideView Window. The GPS navigation system shows every turn as you drive to your destination. The all-in-one audio, navigation and video system model INA-W900 comes with the GuideView Window feature.
