BMW Drive Prevent Accidents

BMW has announced that it is working on a left-turn / u-turn assistant to assist in ensuring that drivers of their cars aren't going to hit oncoming cars while making a left or u-turn.Collisions caused by drivers making left turns are a major cause of accidents and motorcycle fatalities.


The left-turn assistant will work at speeds up to 10 km/h (or about 6.2 MPH). Once it recognizes a left turn or u-turn, it will use three laser scanners and a camera to detect oncoming traffic as far as 328 feet (100m) away. If it detects oncoming traffic, an automated braking system will engage.

At the same time, the driver will be alerted by a warning sound and warning symbols in the instrument cluster and Heads-Up Display.

In addition, the range can be extended to 820 feet (250 m) with the addition of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication WLAN system. BMW is set to show off the system as part of INTERSAFE 2, taking place this week in Wolfsburg, Germany.