BMW 2008 Annual Report Download - page 213

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BMW developers are always looking ahead in their own
work, too. That is how they find answers today to challenges
which won’t fully emerge until farther down the road. One
such example is the expected increase in the number of
crossing accidents. Studies confirm that accidents that
occur when turning or crossing traffic are often caused
by obstructed visibility – for instance, when a driver is un-
able
to see approaching cross traffic due to parked cars.
That is why BMW developers are already working on the
ultimate in assistance systems: vehicle-to-vehicle
commu-
nication. Intelligent communication between vehicles
could, for instance, allow a car to alert traffic behind it to
patches of black ice. A vehicle approaching an intersection
could warn cross traffic of its approach, even though it
might still be concealed by a building. “Vehicle-to-vehicle
communication is still a long way off; and then, it would
only work if all brands could communicate with each other,”
explains Kompaß. “At the end of the day a system like this
can only be effective if as many vehicles as possible have
communications systems of this kind.” Nonetheless, last
summer the EU reserved standardised radio frequencies
for all member countries for Car2Car communications. A
research project sponsored by the German federal govern-
ment will soon explore the potential for this type of
com-
munications between vehicles made by different manu-
facturers:
The BMW Group has had concepts ready for
technical implementation for a long time.
Image aPreventive safety for pedestrians and cyclists Looking around the corner with Side View.
bThe new BMW Night Vision detects pedestrians.
cResearch for the future The crossroads assistant uses vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
Accident type 3:
1 8 percent = crossing
accidents.
Standard features:
– Side View
– bending light
– ABS, brake assistant
In research or development phase :
– cross traffic assistant
– traffic light info
a
b