STAY SAFE THIS WINTER WITH THE LATEST FEATURES FROM BMW

by BMW of Silver Spring

Winter weather poses additional risks to drivers. Reduced visibility and traction can create dangerous conditions. If you live somewhere that experiences ice, snow, and freezing rain, the risks are even greater. It’s important to practice additional safety, keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance, and stay alert all year long, but even more so during the winter. However, BMW offers an entire suite of driver assistance features, collision-resistant vehicle construction, and technologies that increase traction in adverse conditions. The BMW of Silver Spring team is here to break down some of the best safety features from BMW to protect you and your family when the roads get slippery this winter.

Active Safety Features

For 2021, the available BMW Driver Assistance Features improve upon previous generations, including safety features designed to prevent avoidable accidents, as well as react to the unavoidable ones. Thanks to industry-leading autonomous driving technology, radar, and cameras, it's never been safer to drive a new BMW.

Active Lane Keeping And Traffic Jam Assistant – By monitoring the markings, curbs, road edges and the traffic ahead using the forward-facing camera, this feature can notify you when you deviate from your lane. It can even make steering adjustments when needed to stay in line during stop-and-go traffic (see video below).
Fatigue and Focus Alert – By monitoring your driving patterns, this feature can detect when you’re inattentive and suggest that you take a break.
Active Blind Spot Detection – Using radar sensors mounted on the rear of the vehicle, this feature can detect cars in your blind spot. When a vehicle is detected there by the system, it will notify the driver.
Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go – Cruise into the 21st Century. This feature uses frontal radar and cameras to detect the traffic ahead and maintain distance as well as speed. In heavy congestion, the vehicle can automatically stop and move forward with creeping traffic.
The Frontal Collision Warning with City Mitigation – This feature uses audible and visual warnings to alert drivers to possible frontal collisions.

Passive Safety Features

In addition to the driver assistance features available on many models, passive safety features are quietly working behind the scenes and keeping you and your passengers safe. Robust frames and seatbelts that work in concert with other advanced safety technology are just the beginning. BMW has also added systems that enhance braking and handling performance for safety. These features inspire driving confidence that can help you tackle a variety of road conditions.

Active Protection System – This extensive feature from BMW can autonomously prepare your vehicle for a collision in fractions of a second. When a collision occurs, this system instantly goes to work preparing the cabin to mitigate passenger injuries: pre-tensioning safety belts, closing windows and moonroof, and activating post-crash braking. In addition, an impact sensor automatically activates the battery safety terminal disconnect to the alternator, fuel pump, and starter; it also automatically unlocks doors and turns on hazard and interior lights.
BMW Assist eCall™ – includes Emergency Request with an SOS button and Enhanced Automatic Collision Notification to immediately alert emergency services in the event of an accident.
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) – In instances of strong oversteer or understeer while cornering, your BMW vehicle automatically works to regain and maintain predictability.
Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) – This system keeps your drive wheels planted in the event of excessive throttle input on surfaces like ice, mud, and wet roads.
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) – ABS keeps your wheels from locking up when brakes are applied heavily, making sure your vehicle comes to a stop when you need it to.
Autonomous Emergency Braking – This feature can automatically step in to help drivers stop in time to avoid a collision by adding additional brake force.

Premium Traction Technology

Slippery winter road conditions require extra care while driving, but BMW models feature intelligent technology features to make it easier to navigate situations with reduced traction. BMW’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive is available on many models, including the X5, the 4 Series Coupe, and the 7 Series. This advanced system can send power to the wheels with the most traction. Standard features like 4-wheel ABS, electronic brake distribution, brake assist, and hill start assist all offer support without being invasive. The tire pressure monitoring system will alert you if one of your tires has low pressure, which can affect braking, handling, and traction. Traction control utilizes the sensors and systems already equipped in the vehicle to reduce understeer or oversteer, both of which can result in an accident. All of these features are so responsive that drivers don’t even notice how much they contribute to the smooth handling and drive of BMW models.

Prevention and Protection

BMW has always been dedicated to protecting its customers, and thanks to some amazing advancements in safety technology, your BMW isn’t just built for luxury and style. It’s also built to protect you, your family, other motorists, and pedestrians in revolutionary ways. For more information about the automaker's innovations in safety technology or to see these features in action for yourself, contact the team at BMW of Silver Spring today or visit our showroom at 3211 Automobile Blvd, Silver Spring, MD 20904.

Image and Video Credit: BMW Marketing Central