Ford just dropped some pretty wild news at CES 2026. They’re rolling out their first true “eyes-off” driver assistance system by 2028. This goes way beyond hands-free driving, where you still watch the road. We’re talking about technology that actually lets you look away from the highway while your car handles the work.

• Ford plans to launch its first eyes-off driver assistance system in 2028, allowing drivers to fully divert their attention from the road during highway driving.
• The announcement came from Doug Field, Ford’s Chief Advanced Technology Officer, during a panel discussion at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
• This marks a big jump forward from current hands-free systems like Ford’s BlueCruise, which still require drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

What Makes Eyes-Off Different

Right now, Ford’s BlueCruise system lets you take your hands off the wheel on certain highways. But there’s a catch. It watches you with a camera and makes sure you’re still paying attention to the road ahead. Look at your phone for too long? The car starts beeping at you until you focus back on driving.

Ford’s new system changes that equation entirely. You could theoretically check emails, watch videos, or have a full conversation with someone in the back seat without the car throwing a fit. This tech takes on way more responsibility for monitoring traffic, making lane changes, and handling highway situations.

Doug Field, who leads Ford’s advanced tech division, laid out the timeline during a panel at CES. He’s been pushing Ford to catch up with competitors in the self-driving space since joining from Apple a few years back. This announcement shows the company isn’t content to play second fiddle anymore.

Playing Catch-Up With GM and Tesla

Ford’s making this move partly because General Motors already has them beat. GM’s Ultra Cruise system, which started rolling out in 2023, can already handle some eyes-off driving scenarios. Tesla keeps pushing the boundaries, too, though their approach involves way more legal gray area and relies heavily on cameras rather than more expensive sensor arrays.

This difference matters big time when you start talking about used cars down the line. Once these systems become standard on new models, buyers shopping for pre-owned vehicles in a few years will start comparing driver assistance features the same way they check horsepower or fuel economy today. A 2029 F-150 with eyes-off capability becomes more appealing than a 2027 model without it.

Ford hasn’t said which models get the technology first. Smart money says the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning lead the pack, since those vehicles already carry BlueCruise as an option. Loading them up with more sensors and processing power makes more sense than redesigning older platforms.

The Tech Behind the Promise

Making eyes-off driving work takes serious hardware. You need lidar sensors scanning hundreds of feet ahead, radar tracking vehicles around you, and cameras covering every blind spot. All that data gets processed by a computer, making split-second decisions about when it’s safe for you to zone out and when it needs your attention back immediately.

Weather conditions complicate things. Heavy rain or snow can block sensors and limit what the car sees. Ford’s system will probably restrict eyes-off driving to ideal conditions at first, similar to how BlueCruise only works on pre-mapped highways where Ford knows the road layout.

Cost becomes a factor, too. All those extra sensors and computing power won’t be cheap. Expect this feature to show up as a pricey option package when it launches in 2028. Budget-conscious buyers might stick with the current hands-free version for a while.

Should You Wait for It?

Two years feels like forever when you’re shopping for a new vehicle right now. If you need a truck or SUV in 2026, buying one today makes sense. Sure, the tech will improve, but waiting means missing out on whatever you’d be driving in the meantime.

Plus, first-generation tech always comes with growing pains. Early adopters usually deal with software bugs and situations where the system doesn’t work as advertised. Waiting until 2029 or 2030 might get you a more polished version of eyes-off driving.

Ford’s betting big that drivers want this level of automation. Whether people actually trust their cars enough to look away from the highway remains an open question. Some folks love the idea of reclaiming that commute time. Others won’t take their eyes off the road even if the car begs them to.

Either way, the announcement signals where the industry’s headed. Cars keep getting smarter, and Ford wants to make sure they’re leading that charge instead of playing catch-up. By 2028, taking your eyes off the highway might feel as normal as cruise control does today.