New BMWs will stop occupants from dooring cyclists

BMW is introducing new active safety functions on its “Neue Klasse” of vehicles, which remain active even when the car is not being driven.

Cyclist riding past parked BMWs — *An active safety feature that’s standard on Neue Klasse BMWs will help prevent dooring accidents. – BMW Group Canada photo*

BMW is setting out to make its vehicles safer, even when the cars are parked.

The automaker announced it is rolling out an expanded set of active safety assistance systems in its “Neue Klasse” of vehicles, with these new functions being standard on multiple model lines.

The BMW iX3 was the first to roll out these new functions called BMW Symbiotic Drive, while the i3, X5 and 7 Series will follow.

Among the new features is one that will help occupants of the vehicles from dooring cyclists.

BMW driver waiting for cyclist to pass — *A BMW active safety feature will prevent the doors from opening while a cyclist or other road user passes close to the parked vehicle. – BMW Group Canada photo*

Exit warning

BMW has had exit warnings for on its vehicles for years, but the Neue Klasse of vehicles get it as standard and it includes active door opening delay.

Through the use of side radars, the system checks the traffic area around the parked vehicle to detect if there are approaching vehicles, bicycle riders or other road users.

If a collision risk is detected, the electronic door lock will delay the opening of the door until the risk has passed.

The company said that eight per cent of all bicycle accidents in Berlin in 2024 were related to dooring.

Other safety features

BMW highlighted other standard safety features that are standard on the Neue Klasse of vehicles.

A new emergency steering intervention will automatically steer the car around an obstacle while keeping it within its own lane. This could happen if someone steps out onto the road. It can also help avoid side collisions such as when another driver moves into your lane.

The emergency brake assist is getting evasive steering support, which can help prevent head-on collisions.

A new road priority warning will display recognized traffic signs on the BMW Panoramic Vision display directly in the driver’s field of vision.

The attentiveness assistant with emergency stop will detect if the driver is no longer fit to drive and, if so, will take control of the vehicle and bring it to a controlled stop. The system will turn on the hazard lights and will make an eCall. The driver can override this at any time.

The active park distance control will apply the brakes if it detects stationary or moving objects behind or at the side of the vehicle that you risk hitting while parking.

Emergency braking function for cross-traffic will use the rear side radars and rear-view camera and a bird’s-eye view display to display vehicle surroundings when backing out of a parking space onto a busy area.

Another feature, start monitoring, will detect if the driver potentially hits the wrong pedal or if they stomp on a pedal too hard. One example is if you have an obstacle in front of you and you accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake, the car will intervene and stop, or if you stomp on the brakes, the car will stop in a controlled manner.

“The broad rollout of our new active safety functions as standard is based on our ‘Smart, Symbiotic, Safe’ philosophy. We bring drivers and assistance systems together into a co-operative system that works in harmony. At BMW, active safety functions operate as quiet, intelligent companions in the background, discreet yet highly effective when it matters most in critical situations,” said Mihiar Ayoubi, senior vice president, Driving Experience Development, BMW Group, in a news release.