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Active and passive safety at the BMW Group
22/07/2008
"Supreme safety of the highest standard is a natural asset for the premium manufacturer. What makes our cars so unique is the overall approach we take in our safety concept" - states Klaus Kompass, BMW Group Director of Vehicle Safety, in describing the s
The BMW Group's safety concepts are always based first and foremost on reality. Precisely this is why BMW Group experts in accident research examine a wide range of real-life accidents each year, interacting with biomechanics, doctors specialising in accident treatment and prevention, as well as traumatologists in Germany and the USA, and naturally sharing their experience with researchers and developers at BMW.
The knowledge gained in these processes goes directly into new concepts for active and passive safety, where the second aspect of the BMW Group's safety philosophy comes to bear: Safety, as seen by BMW, starts with sheer driving pleasure, that is long before a possible accident. For the best accident is an accident avoided right from the start - an accident that never happens. And, at the other end, the concept continues on a long way, only ending long after the accident as such has occurred.
The BMW Group has always attached great significance to safety in road traffic. To this day there is not one single safety system in production cars which the BMW Group has not examined or developed, in many cases taking on the role of a pioneer, as in the case of the head airbag. An exceptional highlight of BMW's approach in this context is the integration of precise driving dynamics, specific support of the driver and optimum occupant protection within one overall package focusing on a very ambitious target: to ensure maximum safety all round and at all times.
• The Speed Limit Indicator introduced for the first time ever in the BMW 7 Series and informing the driver at all times of the maximum speed allowed on the route he is currently taking.
• BMW's new Night Vision with detection of individual persons offering preventive pedestrian safety by recognising people up to a distance of 300 metres or almost 1,000 feet and warning the driver of dangerous situations. Considering that far more than 50 per cent of all fatal accidents involving pedestrians occur at night or in the dark (source: DESTATIS), such a safety system is particularly helpful.
• The Head-up Display providing information relevant to the driver in his direct line of vision. This minimises the need for the driver to take his eyes off the road and increases driving safety accordingly.
• Adaptive Headlights, variable light distribution, Bending Lights, adaptive headlight range control and the High-Beam Assistant offer a unique lights package ensuring optimum illumination of the road ahead at night, in fog and bad weather, without dazzling oncoming drivers.
• Like Park Distance Control, the back-up camera signifi cantly facilitates the process of parking and manoeuvring.
• In the new BMW 7 Series the Safety Package is further enhanced by Side View enabling the driver to check out traffic crossing from the side in unclear crossings and road junctions.
To prepare appropriately for the future in every respect, the BMW Group has consistently enhanced and renewed its testing facilities in recent years. All vehicles are tested and checked in crash testing and simulation systems not only for their full compliance with legal requirements, but also with the BMW Group's own and far more demanding internal standards: To ensure consistent safety on the road the world over.
This safety concept even continues beyond the actual occurrence of an accident, activation of the hazard warning flashers and the interior lights warning other road users and improving the chances of being rescued. The Safety Battery Terminal, for example, reduces the risk of fire. And depending on the car's features, the rescue headquarters are alarmed at the same time the automatic emergency call is sent out, receiving important information on the severity of the accident.
Implementing such a safety philosophy calls for the significant involvement of all parties concerned within the BMW Group. So the engineers are of course always very happy to receive mail such as this letter from a customer that reads: "Thank you, the whole BMW Team". This BMW customer, after surviving a head-on collision at high speed, even wrote to BMW from the hospital: "I only survived because of your car - so let me express my heart-felt gratitude for such an outstanding achievement of engineering."
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