Vauxhall just introduced a dual-function camera for the Opel Insignia that not only reads speed limit and other road signs and displays them on the instrument panel, but also alerts drivers when they veer out of their lane without realizing it. The company said that their Traffic Sign Recognition and Lane Departure Warning systems improve driving safety, reduce stress and can also prevent costly speeding tickets.

Vauxhall and Opel engineers developed the new camera in tandem with Hella. Here's how it works: the camera, which isn't much bigger than a cell phone, sits between the windshield and the rear-view mirror and detects road signs and lane markings. It takes 30 pictures per second, while two signal processors filter and read the photos in real-time.

"It starts by focusing on circular patterns then identifies the numbers inside them via contour comparison," the company said in a statement. "When a match is found in the car's software, the sign is displayed in the instrument panel; it will even prioritize a no-overtaking sign over a speed limit warning sign." The Lane Departure Warning system, meanwhile, uses another signal processor to read traffic lanes and record the driver's normal steering inputs and turn signal usage. If the driver then deviates from this pattern, the system puts up audio and video warnings, in case the driver begins to fall asleep.

The camera will be available in the Insignia overseas, and quite possibly in whatever version we get over here as a Saturn.