Pedestrian Warning with City Braking Activation is the second driving assistance system from BMW ConnectedDrive to win the Euro NCAP Advanced award. The camera-based safety system, available for almost the entire line of the BMW Group’s current models, helps reduce the danger of collisions with pedestrians in urban traffic. This award from the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) safety assessment organization is granted to honour emerging innovations in the area of accident avoidance and occupant protection. At the inaugural presentation of the Euro NCAP Advanced award in 2010, the accolade went to BMW ConnectedDrive’s Intelligent Emergency Call with automatic location and accident severity detection.
The award complements the assessment system with its top five-star rating – recognised Europe-wide – while taking into account innovative safety features whose function exceeds the requirements of the Euro NCAP tests. As the latest model in the portfolio of the Munich-based premium brand, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer (fuel consumption: 6.5 – 3.8 litres [43.4 – 74.3 mpg imp]; CO2 emissions combined: 152 – 99 g/km)*, recently granted the maximum five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test, now receives the Euro NCAP Advanced award. The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, is equipped as standard with a camera mounted on the windscreen in the base of the rear-view mirror, along with the Collision Warning with City Braking Activation function. Specifying the optional Driving Assistant package adds to the Pedestrian Warning with City Braking Activation function, as well as the Lane Departure Warning system, High Beam Assistant and the Speed Limit Info system with No Passing Info display.
The Driving Assistant is also available in model-specific configuration for many more vehicles in the current BMW range. The Pedestrian Warning with City Braking Activation function honoured by Euro NCAP is available at speeds between 10 and 60 km/h (6 and 37 mph) making it ideal for avoiding pedestrian accidents in city traffic.
The system analyses the traffic situation based on the information obtained by the camera. As soon as a potential collision with a pedestrian is registered, the driver is prompted to take action by an audiovisual warning via the instrument cluster, while the braking system is primed for a faster braking response. The priming of the brakes supports the driver by providing full deceleration to ensure the shortest possible stopping distance, even if the brake pedal is not fully depressed. In the event of an emergency, the system autonomously initiates braking, ensuring that the collision speed is reduced. The intervention can bring a vehicle traveling at slow speed to a complete stop.
Pedestrian Warning with City Braking Activation function was extensively tested by safety experts from an independent Euro NCAP test laboratory. The conferral of the special award emphatically corroborates the effectiveness and reliability of the system, which is available for virtually the entire model portfolio – from the BMW 1 Series all the way to the BMW 7 Series.
