Our friend Jonathan Spira over at the Executive Road Warrior went through an unfortunate accident while driving his new BMW 7 Series. We learned in the past about BMW’s safety measurements implemented in their cars and even more evident in the latest generation 7 Series, but truth is that, fortunately, we didn’t go through a similar experience.
Let’s take a look at the incident and how the 7 Series “reacted”:
“In addition, while not perfect, features such as real-time traffic reporting via the navigation system, which provides information about any accidents ahead and other traffic patterns, and head-up display, projecting navigation, road geometry, and speed information in the driver’s field of vision, add to overall safety.
But there is one thing that none of these systems can do and that’s protect against other drivers who have made a huge miscalculation and, in an instant, are hurtling towards your car without apparently seeing it.
In my case, this happened two weeks ago as I was proceeding on a major street with a green light. An Acura SUV made a left turn from opposing traffic and entered my path a second or so before impact. This gave me barely enough time to react, let alone successfully complete an evasive maneuver. I instinctively stomped on the brakes and tried to steer my way out of its way. The braking slowed the car down sufficiently so that I avoided a side impact to my car (which could have caused significant injury) but nonetheless, we still made contact as the SUV passed in front of me.
I heard the accident take place but I didn’t feel it at all. The car’s front crumple zone absorbed the impact so well that it was a minor thud to me at most.
The most important thing is that the car I was driving, a new BMW 7er series, not only allowed me to walk away from the accident but absorbed so much of the impact that I was left completely unscathed. No safety system that currently exists can stop another driver from executing a maneuver that may result in an accident. What matters most is that the car you are in can keep the consequences of the impact to a minimum.”
Read through to find out more about the safety systems in BMW 7 Series.
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/11/01/accid ... he-rescue/