DETROIT – Buick will offer two new safety-enhancing technologies — Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) — to help drivers avoid a collision caused either by an inadvertent lane change or by colliding with a vehicle in the side blind spot while changing lanes. The technologies will be available on all 2008 Buick Lucerne sedan models this summer. The lane departure system uses a camera, located between the inside rearview mirror and the windshield, to detect lane markings on the road and alert drivers when they inadvertently stray from the lane. The side blind zone system uses radar sensors behind the rear fascia on both sides of the vehicle. It is designed to help drivers avoid lane-change crashes with vehicles in the side blind zone. The same technology behind the Buick systems will be featured on the 2008 Cadillac STS and DTS sedans. When GM’s Lane Departure Warning System is engaged, a driver traveling at 35 mph or more who crosses a detected lane marking without signaling is alerted in two ways: The system flashes an amber indicator light located in the fuel gauge of the Lucerne’s instrument panel, and an alerting chime of three beeps is played. The system does not steer the vehicle; it is designed only to alert drivers so they can take appropriate action to move the vehicle back into the lane. Both the LDW and SBZA systems can be turned on and off by the driver. Lane Departure Warning and Side Blind Zone Alert systems are available together as an optional upgrade to Lucerne’s Driver Confidence Package, which includes remote start, rear park assist, heated washer fluid, StabiliTrak, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Both technologies are available in the United States and Canada. Pricing for each has not been announced.