BMW Technology

BMW Safety

Before you step into a BMW, we do our best to try to make sure you can walk away from one.

There is no end to our quest for the next innovation. And it's not just about greater power and more efficient performance. It's also about safety. We prepare our vehicles to expect the unexpected.

Safety with a high IQ: the safety systems in your BMW react in an accident in a split second, coordinating the deployment of all necessary safety features, from airbags to seatbelt pre-tensioners to active headrests. The result: you and your passengers are assured of the best possible protection, whatever the type and intensity of collision.

Sensors in the A and B columns and in the doors of your vehicle register an accident at the earliest moments and react within milliseconds. The correct airbags are deployed to the appropriate degree, depending on which seats are occupied and the severity of the impact. Seatbelt pre-tensioners and the optional Active Headrests are activated at the right moment. If necessary, the battery and generator are disengaged and fuel pump deactivated to reduce the danger of fire. The central locking system unlocks all the doors and the cabin light and warning lights are illuminated.

Your BMW's safety system is able to react with remarkable speed, thanks to the decentralised structure of the network. Whereas in conventional systems all crash data is first gathered and analysed by one central control unit, the BMW network comprises numerous decentralised control units that determine the timing and intensity of deployment independently. This reduces data transfer times and enables individual components within the safety system to react with critical speed.